On February 22, the next 40 Days for Life campaign begins in 251 locations in the United States, Canada, England, Australia and Spain. During Lent, those participating will be engaged in Prayer and Fasting, Constant Vigil and Outreach.  Previous campaigns have seen 5,045 lives that have been spared from abortion — and those are just the ones known about. 61 abortion workers have quit their jobs and walked away from the abortion industry, including Abby Johnson, a former planned parenthood director. 21 abortion facilities completely shut down following local 40 Days for Life campaigns. Three Lent campaigns are planned to be held in England (London, Birmingham, Manchester).
More details: 40 days for life website, 40 days for life Manchester, Manchester Poster

Abortion doctor: I don’t ask questions (gender based abortion)
Doctors at British clinics have been secretly filmed by the Daily Telegraph agreeing to terminate foetuses purely because they are either male or female, even though it is illegal to conduct such “sex-selection” procedures.

 “Family balancing” is a popular practice in  countries such as India and China.  Half a million girls a year are being aborted in India, prompting a high sex imbalance ratio in the country, according to the country’s 2011 census results. Analysts have attributed the growing gap to “a powerful lobby of doctors and commercial interests who sell ultrasound machines; both make profits from the illegal, multimillion dollar sex selection procedures” said Guardian columnist Madeleine Bunting.

Even before the the Daliy Telegraph exposé concern has been expressed about the practice in this country. In 2007, two Oxford academics, Sylvie Dubuc and David Coleman, carried out a study into sex ratio using the annual birth registrations in England and Wales between 1969 and 2005 and found that there was “indirect quantitative evidence of prenatal sex selection against females performed by a small minority of Indian born women in England and Wales.”

Anthony Ozimic, of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said: ‘This investigation confirms the reality of eugenics in modern British medicine, in which some innocent human beings are deemed too inconvenient to be allowed to live. Sex-selective abortion is an inevitable consequence of easy access to abortion, a situation to which the pro-abortion lobby has no convincing answer.’

Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, said: “I’m extremely concerned to hear about these allegations. Sex selection is illegal and is morally wrong. I’ve asked my officials to investigate this as a matter of urgency.” It is difficult to understand the Health Secretary’s outrage at gender based abortion when other forms of abortion on demand continue to be carried out on a regular basis.
More details: Daily Telegraph (1), Al Aribiya News, Guardian, Daily Telegraph (2), Daily Mail
Click here to listen to an interview on the topic given by image to Radio Manchester.

Amendment to Health and Social Care Bill not passed
The amendment laid by Nadine Dorries MP (see below) did not pass after a vote in Parliament on 7th September. Nadine told the BBC, that "We lost the battle but we have won the war" after Health Minister Anne Milton conceded in the debate that a full consultation would be held on the issue. The Health Minister said:"The Government is supportive of the spirit of these amendments and we intend to bring forward proposals for regulations."
More details: Christian Concern, Nadine Dorries Newsnight interview