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Dr Halliday Sutherland and the fight against eugenics
| Posted on June 30, 2016 at 9:42 AM |
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 If only there were more Dr Halliday Sutherlands today. Perhaps he would have the courage to stand up
for the rights of those who are under threat from the increasing prevalence of
assisted suicide in our world. Perhaps
he would have the courage to stand up for the rights of the preborn child under
threat of death by abortion. Dr Halliday Sutherland, born in Glasgow in 1882, was a man
who stood up for the people society felt unworthy of life. He lived in a time when the middle and upper
classes of Britain fought for the legal right to sterilise the poor and the
seemingly unworthy. The rich felt more
and more threatened by the higher birth rate among the poorer classes compared
to their deteriorating birth rate. They
also felt threatened by the seeming prevalence of tuberculosis among the poor. There was even talk of using a lethal chamber
at one stage. According to this article,
Sutherland was “appalled by the popularity of eugenics among Britain’s middle
and upper classes” and set about fighting for the rights of the vulnerable. He argued with the Professor of Eugenics at
London University who claimed that tuberculosis was primarily caused by
heredity and argued that the disease be cured by breeding out those considered
to be at risk (the poor). In a speech
made in 1917, Sutherland called Britain’s eugenists “race breeders with the
souls of cattle breeders” and argued that “in preventing disease you are not
preserving the weak but conserving the strong.”
Sutherland also decried the actions of a eugenist who, in
1921, began dispensing ‘pro-race’ contraceptives to women in poorer parts of
London. Sutherland described this as a
social “experiment” that would lead to a “servile state”. He also argued that ‘if ordinary Britons were
legally prevented from having children, they would have no societal role other
than to work.’ Marie Stopes was also criticised by Sutherland after she
revealed her eugenic vision for society in 1921. She revealed details of her “ardent dream” of
“human stock represented only by well-formed, desired and well-endowed
beautiful men and women.” The dangers of
this frightening and callous point of view are obvious. Halliday Sutherland would be appalled at the direction of travel
of western society today. Not only have
we cow-towed to the contraceptive mentality, completely ignoring any notion of
the true meaning of our sexuality, but we now routinely kill our own preborn
children through abortion and threaten the vulnerable with a premature death by
way of assisted suicide. We need more Halliday Sutherlands in our world today. We need more people to stand up for the poor,
the marginalised, and the vulnerable. Dr
Sutherland was a Catholic and it is important that we as a Church follow his
example and be absolutely clear on the wrongs of abortion and assisted
suicide. Not only that, but we must also
resist the assumption that contraception is a simple and harmless solution that
allows people to have sexual relations without the ‘threat’ of new life. As a Catholic people we value life from the
very moment it starts right up until its natural conclusion on death. Contraception interrupts the natural process
by killing off new life. It also
encourages people to use others as objects of desire, their sole purpose being
to satisfy their own selfish cravings devoid of the threat of responsibility for
a new life. We have lost the true meaning of the sexual encounter and we
have lost the meaning of the value of life.
Our world needs to hear that there is an alternative to the throwaway
culture of death; an alternative that values all life and that gives the sexual
act the respect it truly deserves. Dr
Halliday Sutherland would be willing to speak up for these values. |
Jo Cox death should herald a turning point in public/political relations
| Posted on June 20, 2016 at 11:43 AM |
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 Jo Cox in the House of CommonsThe death of Labour MP Jo Cox has shocked not only the world
of politics in which she worked, but also the British nation as a whole. The horror of what happened in the town of Birstall
last Thursday will be a permanent scar for the MP’s family and is something
they will have to live with for the rest of their lives. But what does it mean for the relationship between MPs and
the general public? Scottish Secretary
David Mundell, who has himself received death threats, lamented the influence
of social media in relations between the public and MPs, criticising the
“vitriol” that is often expressed towards politicians. I for one agree with him. Whilst our elected representatives’ role in
public life is such that they are very much open to criticism, that criticism
should be constructive and measured, and it should be expressed with
politeness. It should not be unjust or
whimsical, and it should not be expressed with any degree of hatred or be
threatening in any way. Politicians have
the right to do their job in safety and without abuse. Isn’t that the legal right of every
worker? Why should politicians be any
different? Very few politicians are actually in the job to make people
worse off or to act selfishly. They are
in politics because they genuinely want to make a difference. Yes, there will be bad apples in there; just
like there is in any walk of life. But
as with any bad apple, we need to pray for them and we need to trust that our
peaceful system of democracy will ultimately win the day. The hate directed at poor Jo Cox as she walked through her
constituency last week was of the worst kind.
It took her life and has thus
caused immeasurable pain to her family, friends and colleagues. But underneath all of that is an unhealthy
undercurrent of hate and cynicism which exists throughout our country and is often
directed at many in officialdom, including politicians. This is especially the case on social media, where the abuse and hatred spewed forth has the potential to fuel the anger in certain individuals predisposed to dangerous actions. Jesus Christ called us to love all people;
even those that we perceive to be our enemies.
Our politicians need our support and prayers. They work in an incredibly testing
environment in which they are under increasing fear for their own safety and
wellbeing. May the sad and unnecessary passing of Jo Cox herald a
change in attitude across our nation so that we come together as one, and in a
spirit of brotherly love may we work with and support our politicians in
striving for peace, equality, tolerance and prosperity for all people. |
Peace must reign as yet more precious lives are lost
| Posted on June 14, 2016 at 7:03 AM |
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 People gather to mourn the dead The tragic events in Orlando provide yet another glaring
example of man’s inhumanity to man. Very
few of us can even begin to imagine what was going through the minds of the
hundreds of young partygoers in Pulse nightclub as the horrid truth about what
was unfolding became clear. It wasn’t a
case of exuberant pyrotechnics or sophisticated indoor fireworks. It was the crackling of gunfire and the flash
of bullets as one hate-filled individual felt compelled to walk into the club
and shoot dead 49 innocent people and injure many others. Islamic State militants have claimed that Omar Mateen acted
on their instruction. Whether he did or
not is perhaps not important because, at the end of the day, both Islamic State
and Omar Mateen are callous murderers, with no consideration for their fellow
man and woman, and little thought to the pain and hurt that their actions
cause. The cries of parents, siblings, and friends have rung out
from the devastated city of Orlando ever since Mateen decided to walk into the
Pulse nightclub early on Sunday morning and shoot unashamedly at his unsuspecting
victims. The world has joined them in
mourning their precious loved ones who have been taken so suddenly and without
warning. Little did they know that when
they waved the young revellers off on Saturday night, it would be the last time
they would see them alive. It is truly
horrific. At this time of great uncertainty with no little hate
flowing through our world it is important that we Christians stand firm with all people of goodwill to continue to promote peace.
There is no life that isn’t precious in God’s eye. This is our fundamental belief and we must
fight hard to promote the sanctity of human life, be it the unborn child, the
frail old woman, or the young lad enjoying quality time with his friends in a
nightclub. All life is precious and worthy
of protection. We pray for the peaceful repose of the souls of the dead,
and we pray for their families that they will find some comfort in knowing that
their loved ones are at the mercy of a loving Father. We also pray for those who are inclined to such violence,
that their hearts be changed to see the inherent value of all people, even if
some of them do not conform to their own beliefs. |
Jesus brings great hope, even in death
| Posted on June 3, 2016 at 9:29 AM |
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 Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 7:1-17): ‘Jesus went to a town called Nain, accompanied by
his disciples and a great number of people. When he was near the gate of the
town it happened that a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son
of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number of the
townspeople were with her. When the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her. ‘Do not
cry’ he said. Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers
stood still, and he said, ‘Young man, I tell you to get up.’ And the dead man
sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Everyone was filled
with awe and praised God saying, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us; God
has visited his people.’ And this opinion of him spread throughout Judaea and
all over the countryside.’ The miracle performed by Jesus in this Gospel passage is one
of great hope. The woman, a widow, had
lost her only son. Can you imagine the
grief and sorrow that this woman must have been experiencing? Can you imagine how alone she must have felt
watching her only family being carried away for burial? She must have felt that nothing could take away the extreme pain that was now drilling through her heart. Yet moments later she would witness the resurrection of her son from the dead. Just when all had seemed to be lost, along came Jesus. We must never lose hope when death comes knocking at our
door. Whilst it is perfectly natural for
us to grieve and to feel sorrow when a loved one dies, we must always have
confidence in the one who makes all things new.
Jesus’ death on the Cross was not a pointless exercise. It was necessary so that our sins could be wiped
away and we could have eternal life. When your loved one dies, remember that Jesus is there. He has come down from the Cross and is
standing ready at the gates of Paradise, waiting to put his hand on your loved
one, waiting to bring them back to life. |
UK midwives revolt following abortion announcement
| Posted on May 16, 2016 at 9:01 AM |
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 Children should be safe in the hands of midwivesThe Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is
facing calls to resign after announcing that the organisation supported the
removal of the 24 week time limit for abortions in the UK. Cathy Marwick has caused consternation among RCM
members, many of whom have signed an online petition seeking to distance themselves from the RCM’s stance. They have also accused her of failing to
consult on the issue. Marwick, who is the chair of the UK’s
biggest abortion provider BPAS (British Pregnancy Advisory Service), has not surprisingly been
accused of a conflict of interest given her two roles. One midwife from Northern Ireland said: ‘Anyone advocating allowing abortion up to birth, I think is so
sad and tragic, but to have my own representative body coming out in
support of this extreme view is very disappointing. I know she’s our chief, but
there is clearly a conflict of interest. On something as big as this, she
should have consulted us.’ Dr Peter Saunders, head of the
Christian Medical Fellowship, said: ‘It is bitterly ironic that the RCM, the
supposed champion of safe childbirth and antenatal care, should be backing a
campaign seeking to legalise the killing of unborn children up until birth. It
is even more extraordinary that their chief executive, who also chairs BPAS,
should be spearheading this initiative without apparently even consulting her
membership. It is an extraordinary abuse of power.’  Cathy MarwickDemocratic Unionist MP, Jim Shannon, has vowed to raise the matter in
Parliament this week. He said: ‘I will
ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had, or will
have, with the RCM and BPAS. My concern is that scrapping the 24-week cut-off would
be absolutely disgraceful. I would have thought the RCM should be protecting unborn
life. Its chief executive has this dual position and many people would say you
can’t have that.’ It is deeply disturbing that the very people who
have for hundreds of years facilitated the safe passage of new life into our
world are now being encouraged to compromise that ethos and be prepared to kill
off that life. Indeed, medical advances
are strongly indicating that the abortion time limit should be reduced as a
result of the increased survival rate of babies before the 24 week mark. There is absolutely no indication that the
abortion time limit should be increased, never mind scrapped altogether. Any attempt to increase or abolish the 24
week limit flies in the face of scientific and medical fact, and it once again raises the question as to whether the wilful destruction of innocent human life by abortion should be allowed at all. Our smallest, youngest, most vulnerable children should be safe in the hands of our midwives. Click here to read the Daily Mail story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3591935/Midwives-revolt-abortion-feminist-union-chief-backs-bid-axe-time-limit-terminations.html#ixzz48omMcPfP |
Desiring a better solution to pregnancy ‘problem’
| Posted on May 12, 2016 at 10:08 AM |
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 These youngsters have taken the chastity pledgeThe World Health Organisation has, in its latest report, confirmed that 25% of worldwide pregnancies ended in abortion between 2010 and
2014. The report also states that “around 22 million unsafe abortions are
estimated to take place worldwide each year, almost all in developing
countries.” While this news must be greeted with great sadness at the
millions of lives lost in an incredibly short period of time, the WHO has a
solution. It states that: “Almost every
abortion death and disability could be prevented through sexuality education,
use of effective contraception, provision of safe, legal induced abortion, and
timely care for complications.” It’s interesting that the WHO avoids any talk of chastity or
abstinence in their report. This, as we
know, is the most effective means by which to prevent a pregnancy if indeed
that is what someone desires.
Contraception has been heralded as the saviour when it comes to having
sexual relations without the ‘nuisance’ of a child. But, in reality, contraception has merely
become a ‘get out of jail free card’ for individuals - mostly men - who simply
want to use and abuse a member of the opposite sex for their own selfish
desires. Contraception encourages people
to engage in the most intimate manner with another human being and then to
discard them once the deed is done.
There is no account for feelings, no account for wellbeing. It is simply the act of using another for
selfish desires. And while not all people
can be accused of using another individual through the use of contraception,
there is no denying that in using contraception a person is not giving
themselves entirely to the other. It is
a way of saying “I love you, but I’m not giving you 100% of my love”. Is this the kind of love we want for our
children? While it is natural for secular organisations like the WHO
to raise unsafe abortion as an issue, the distinction between safe and unsafe
abortions is inherently flawed. This is because
it is only concerned with the wellbeing of one party in order to distinguish
whether an abortion is safe or unsafe.
Abortion, as we know and as science affirms, involves two distinct human
beings. When abortion results in the injury
or death of one of those human beings it must be considered unsafe. Therefore all abortions are unsafe. There is no such thing as safe abortion. While more must be done to ensure people are educated on
sexual matters there is a real need to ensure that such education is not simply
a pandering to the increasingly wayward sexual revolution and the deep pockets
of huge, influential pharmaceutical companies.
Increased availability of ‘safe’ abortion is not the answer. Nor is the increased availability of
contraception. These remedies simply
take us down another road of self-destruction in our society and they quite
clearly fail to solve the big issue, which is the widely held view that sex is
a basic right to be enjoyed by anyone, with anyone and without the very natural
consequence that is another human being. In many African countries there is a growing movement
(University Chastity Education or UCE Missionaries of Chastity) among young
adults where they sign a pledge card, pledging a vow of chastity until they
meet that special someone and marry them.
This is not the stuff of fairy-tales.
This is real life. Isn’t this a
much more appropriate, measured, and natural solution to the pregnancy ‘problem’
than those proposed by the World Health Organisation? Doesn’t this solution encourage the kind of
love you desire for your son or daughter? To read the WHO report, click here: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs388/en/ |
Speaking about matters of faith
| Posted on May 6, 2016 at 12:32 PM |
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 Sunday’s First Reading (Acts 7: 55-60)‘Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and
saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. ‘I can see heaven
thrown open’ he said ‘and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ At
this all the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with
their hands; then they all rushed at him, sent him out of the city and stoned
him. The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man called
Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation, ‘Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and said aloud, ‘Lord, do not hold this
sin against them’; and with these words he fell asleep.’ While sitting at my desk at work earlier this week a
conversation about religion was struck up among my colleagues. Religious chat is generally taboo these days
and where it does exist it tends to take the form of an attack on whatever
religion happens to be in the spotlight.
This time it was the Catholic faith; my faith. I was asked to explain the Catholic Church’s
belief in the Eucharist. No easy task in
a very secular environment I can assure you.
But I tried my best to explain it in terms acceptable to the ears of my
audience. My colleagues listened to what I had to say and once I had
finished a stony silence followed. This
was followed soon thereafter by a change of subject, diverting away from the ridiculous
notion that a piece of bread and a cup of wine could be turned into the body
and blood of a two thousand year old Jew.
The truth is, my colleagues probably felt not only confused but also a little
uncomfortable by all the body and blood chat.
And I can assure you that I most certainly felt uncomfortable with
having to explain it to a cynical crowd.
Yet our discomfort at explaining our faith can never match
the discomfort that must have been experienced by the Christian martyrs. In today’s first reading St Stephen shows
incredible courage as he stands before a cynical crowd and tells them that he
has seen ‘heaven thrown open’ and that he has also seen ‘the Son of Man sitting
at the right hand of God’. Despite
knowing that such words would likely lead to his death he was still not afraid
to speak them. And he even echoed the
words of Christ on the Cross when he begged God to forgive those who were
killing him. Like any human being in
that situation he would have been absolutely terrified, but he never once
denied his faith in order to save his earthly life. It’s not easy to talk about our faith to others. We can feel embarrassed, afraid, and even
silly. But thankfully the UK is not like
the world St Stephen lived in. It is a
place where, despite some arguments to the contrary, people are generally free
to talk openly about their faith. We
must not be afraid to use this freedom, but to do it sensibly and
proportionately. Our world needs a
message of love, mercy and peace; a message that was so profoundly illustrated
in the words and actions of St Stephen just before his death. We can give the world hope with our message;
a message that comes in the shape of one man….Jesus Christ. |
Strangely muted reaction to Commons genocide vote
| Posted on April 21, 2016 at 4:01 AM |
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 I am astonished and no less disappointed to see that few of
the major UK news outlets have covered yesterday’s House of Commons vote, when
MPs voted 278 – 0 in favour of declaring ISIS/Daesh atrocities against
Christians and Yazidis as genocide. If the Holocaust were to occur today, would the media recognise
the atrocity and label it as genocide?
If the massacre of Srebrenica were to occur today, would the media
recognise the suffering people of the city and label it as genocide? And what about Rwanda in 1994? Would today’s media be prepared to state that
this is genocide? As I write I see that the Guardian, the Telegraph and
Reuters are all at least now covering the story. But still no BBC, no ITV, and no Sky News coverage among
many others. These outlets are no better
than the Conservative government which has to date epically failed to declare
the murder and violence wrought by ISIS as genocide.
Is it fear?
Is it an anti-Christian mentality?
Who knows? But one thing is
certain, if genocide isn’t news we might as well all pack up and head for the
hills. |
Where have all the Catholic men gone?
| Posted on April 19, 2016 at 11:42 AM |
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 A call to Catholic men to right the wrongs of a
broken society Here’s a question for Catholic men: did you know
that you have the power to mend our broken society? All
the sadness and despair, the lies and deceit, the selfishness and
infidelity; you have the answer to all of these problems. The future of our world; a future of beauty, goodness and truth is in your hands! Confused? Don't be. Consider for
a moment when the perfect world God created changed. It was in the
Garden of Eden, when Eve was tempted by the serpent to eat the fruit from
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and both she and Adam ate the
fruit. This is the moment everything started to go wrong. This is the moment sin and death entered into our world. But what
if you could help to right the wrong? Jesus, through his passion and Resurrection,
redeemed that fatal mistake made by our forefathers in Eden, yet too many
in the world reject the redemption Jesus offers them; preferring to ignore
it and to continue buying into the relativist culture that tells them anything
goes. A culture that encourages selfishness for the sake of one’s own
wants and desires. So is there something we Catholic men can do to
bring people to accept Christ's redemption on the Cross? How can we
play a part in helping to heal the wounds of the single biggest mistake made by
humanity? A good starting point is to identify Adam’s first
mistake. If we take ourselves back to the Garden of Eden, at the very
moment the serpent persuades Eve to eat the fruit and she obliges. Where
is Adam at this point? Why is he not protecting his wife from the cunning
serpent and telling her to do as God instructed and not eat the fruit from the
tree? This example of Adam failing to protect and care
for his wife is all too prevalent in our world today. And such a failure has serious repercussions.
Adam, after eating the fruit, suddenly realised that he and his wife were naked and
he no longer saw her as God intended him to see her. Rather, it was her
body alone that he could see. His eyes could no longer appreciate Eve’s
purity in her soul, that part of her which is the very core of her being.
Instead he looked upon her as an object for pleasure and gratification.
Does this ring any bells? Is this not an accurate reflection of how many men view women in our world today? Adam, created to have dominion over all the animals
of the world and to be protector-in-chief of God’s creation, including his
wife, had gone from a soldier for God to a man of weakness; a wretch with no
backbone. And so it is with us men today. Instead of
protecting our wives and ensuring their safety and security in this world of
sin, we have let them become the object of our own selfish desires and
gratification. We, like Adam, have taken our eye off the ball and have
failed our women. We have failed them badly.  Catholic men can rebuild our broken societyEverywhere we turn there is infidelity, adultery,
divorce, pornography, selfishness, violence, hate and intolerance. The world is in ruins because of relativist
ideals, especially those borne out of the sexual revolution. But we
Catholic men have been charged with making something out of those ruins; to
take them and to build a pillar of love for the whole world to see. We are
called to succeed where Adam failed. We have a duty to carry out God’s
original plan for His Creation; that is to serve, protect and defend all that
God has entrusted to our care, especially our wives and children. We must see our wives as God intended; with a
perfect love. That is, the same perfect love we witness when we see
Christ hanging from the Cross. This, brothers, is the love we are called
to show our wives. It is not lustful, it is not selfish. It is pure
sacrifice. We, like Christ, must be prepared to lay down our lives for
our wives and our children, putting their needs before our own. Only in
living out this kind of love will we be able to repair the wounds in our
society; a society that is broken, having lost all sense of what it really
means to be in love. Our world today is full of love built on
sand. We have love built on lies, we have love built on selfish desires,
we have love built on one night stands, and we have love built on
adultery. The result of this is broken relationships, broken families,
and ultimately broken children who have never experienced the love they need in
order to thrive. Society needs strong leaders in love. It needs an
authentic, unselfish and unconditional love that is free from the horrid pain
of selfishness and lies. The sexual revolution encourages people to dip
in and out of relationships as and when they please. There is no attempt
to encourage staying power, no attempt to encourage true fidelity. It is
every man and woman for themselves. Yet as Catholic men we are called to
be much better than this, much better! We are called to be soldiers for
God, bringing His perfect love to the world by living it out in our homes and
in our everyday lives, setting an example for our broken society. God is looking down at the earth and asking “Where
have all my Catholic men gone? Where are my soldiers? Where are the
men my Son died for?”  Christ's broken body is the example we are called to follow Brothers, let us be true. True to God, true
to our wives, true to our children, and true to our world. Let us use our call to greatness, our call to be saints, to make a real difference to our world. Let us never tire of striving to
show the kind of love that Christ showed on the Cross, when he gave everything
he had, shedding every last drop of blood for his people. We too are
called to give everything we have. So, with a deep sense of prayer and
trust in the Holy Spirit, let us go forth and be true protectors of God’s
creation. Let us be sure to love our wives and families with that
perfect love so unselfishly evidenced by the broken body of Jesus Christ
hanging on the Cross. |
Westminster Genocide debate - write to your MP now!
| Posted on April 15, 2016 at 8:56 AM |
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 When will the West listen?A motion is to be put before the UK Parliament next week calling on the House to recognise that Christians and other minority groups in the Middle East are facing genocide. The terror being wrought by ISIS is well known to all, though the fact that it is mainly targeted towards Christians is not so well documented in the West. This is an opportunity for the UK government to take a stand against ISIS by declaring their actions to be a genocide against Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities. As Pope Francis said: "It is wrong to look the other way, and remain silent." We all know the situation in the Middle East, and now is our chance to act and to speak up. Please, please contact your MP today and encourage them to take part in this debate which will take place in Parliament next Wednesday 20th April. Aid to the Church in Need UK has helpfully drafted up a letter and included a link to obtain the contact details of your MP. You can find it all by clicking here. We can no longer allow innocent blood to flow under our feet while we do nothing. We need to act to stop this murder. Please, help the helpless and write to your MP today. |