Because of this, the land mourns

Welcome to An Exercise in the Fundamentals of Orthodoxy. If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to the RSS feed to keep up to date with what I’m writing. Alternatively, if you want to contact Peter in relation to issues of human sexuality, please use the contact form here. Thanks for visiting!

Take some [...]

Nadine Dorries rises to the Moment

Just watched a brilliant speech in the Common by Nadine Dorries in support of her amendment to the Embryology Bill to reduce the limit for abortion to 20 weeks. Will try and get video up of it ASAP.

Bookmark this Post:

Cranmer pleads on Abortion

Members of Parliament, in the name of Christ, take heed of such testimonies and stop this slaughter. If you have no time for religious opinion, then listen to scientific reason and the democratic majority, and call a halt to this evil infanticide.

Cranmer’s full piece is well worth a read this afternoon. His blog post also [...]

Children versus Identity Politics

Another brilliant piece from CentreRight on today’s vote in the Commons.

And so the votes begin on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill. Feelings are riding high on many issues - from abortion rights to stem-cell research - as well as the issue that most exercises my feelings - the intention to remove the need for [...]

Embryonic Stem Cells - “They just want to make babies”

Here’s a brilliant comment from my previous post on the Embryology Bill:

I hope that a non-religious approach to this vastly misunderstood issue will appeal to some, so here goes, especially after an excellent scientific paper such as the one above.
The difference between adult stem cells (ASC) and embryonic stem cells (ESC) explains why ESC researchers [...]

Embryology Bill Crunch Moment

As you can see from the graphic on the right, next Monday and Tuesday are the crunch moments for the Human Embryology Bill. There are four crucial votes on matters of deep theological significance related to our understanding of the sanctity of life.
I wrote a piece two months ago outlining some of the moral objections [...]

Why the “Stay at 24 Weeks” Argument is Tenuous

You may have seen the news stories this morning claiming that there has been no real change in pre 24 week foetus viability in the last few years. This has been spun as a reason not to change the limit on abortions when an amendment is presented very soon as part of the passage of [...]

Sort it out Google

Cranmer has the best summary and comment on this story by far:
The Christians who sued Google
Not quite as bold as ‘The man who sued God’, but it is manifestly a David and Goliath battle which is to be admired, for the outcome has considerable implications for Christians in the areas of equality and freedom [...]

Just how pathetic can the pro-abortion lobby get?

You may have already seen this nonsense in yesterday’s Independent.

Exclusive: right-wing Christian group pays for Commons researchers
As the Prime Minister bows to church pressure on embryology legislation, Jane Merrick and Brian Brady investigate the long parliamentary reach of a pro-life group opposed to the Bill.
An evangelical Christian charity leading opposition to new laws on embryo [...]

Why the Brown Compromise is Immoral

Back in 1789 a piece of history was being made. While the French were revolting, William Wilberforce put forward the first of his bills to abolish the Slave Trade in the British Empire. Of course, the Bill was voted down, but Wilberforce continud his struggle year after year until finally Parliament agreed with him that [...]

Rowan opposes the Embryology Bill

Now the Archbishop of Canterbury steps in to highlight the problems with mixing DNA.

Dr Williams attacked proposals in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill which could open the door to research into hybrid embryos and which would remove the reference to the need for a father when under going fertility treatment.
He said: "The hybrid question [...]

Breaking - MPs to be allowed free vote on Embryology Bill?

The BBC is reporting on News 24 that Gordon Brown will allow a free vote on "3 key clauses". Don’t hold your breath until we find out what those sections of the Bill are.
Update - Watching the One O’Clock News. The three areas allowed a free vote during the Committee stage are:

Creation of Saviour Siblings
IVF [...]

Embryology - Now the Church of England gets stuck in

Good to read this morning that Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, used his Easter sermon to attack the Government’s new obscene Bill on embryology and fertility.

In his Easter Sunday message, given at Durham Cathedral, Rt Rev Tom Wright issued a rallying call to all faiths to object to the "1984-style" proposals.
He accused ministers [...]