Defence Secretary Liam Fox supports abortion amendment.
Defence Secretary Liam Fox has said he would support efforts to reduce the ‘far too high’ number of abortions. He is the first high profile politician this week to say so. Amid tensions within the coalition over a backbench bid to change the law on counselling for women considering a termination, Dr Fox said he would back anything that made people ‘think twice’. Tory MP Nadine Dorries is currently rallying support for an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill which would provide women, who wanted it, to receive counselling that was independent of the abortion industry. However the Government appears to be changing their mind about supporting the amendment as Mr Cameron and the Heath Minister, Anne Milton now say they will oppose it. Ms Dorries branded Cameron as ‘gutless’ and said he had supported her amendment but had been forced into a U-turn by Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to save coalition stability.’ (See also last week’s P.A.)
Pray: for the amendment to be supported by an overwhelming majority in Parliament. (Ps.67:4)
More: http://pjsaunders.blogspot.com/2011/09/defence-secretary-liam-fox-gives.html
Advice UK cuts ties with Christian charity for offering prayer to clients
Advice UK, the largest support network for free advice centres in the UK, has pushed out a Christian debt counselling charity from its membership for offering to pray with clients suffering from debt problems. Despite being an active member of Advice UK for six years, Christians Against Poverty (‘CAP’) was forced to leave Advice UK as they were told that its prayer offer was ‘incompatible’ with the organisation’s membership criteria. Andrea Williams, director of the Christian Legal Centre, said: ‘This is a very sad development and further highlights how intolerant our society has become to the Christian faith. There is increasingly a chilling notion prevailing that there is something wrong, something sinister, about being motivated by faith. It should come as no surprise that an organisation with the term ‘Christian’ in its name may have a Christian ethos and may offer prayer alongside its primary services.’
Pray: for the volunteers in CAP and that God will lift them above such ill-advised political correctness and use them more powerfully than ever. (Ac.4:33)
Government must not betray its moral duty to troops
The Church of England is to make a rare direct political intervention in the House of Lords this week over legislation to enshrine the ‘military covenant’ in law. The proposals will guarantee soldiers that their sacrifice is honoured by provisions including council tax rebates for those on operations, extra NHS help for the injured and free bus travel for those who have been wounded. But senior bishops, who are backed by former chief of the army staff General the Lord Dannatt, say that the scheme needs to go further. Under the current plans, the Ministry of Defence would be solely responsible for governing the level of care given to troops. The Rt Rev Stephen Platten, the Bishop of Wakefield, will move an amendment to the Armed Forces Bill in the House of Lords on Tuesday, arguing for the Government to set up an independent review of the welfare needs of serving armed forces personnel.
Pray: for all those who are injured in action and that our Government will respond to requests that their welfare needs be independently administered. (Lk.10:9)
Joining an Islington library? Are you transgender?
People are being asked about their sexual orientation, any ‘hidden impairments’ and whether they are transgender when they want to join a library. A national newspaper has learned that councils, including Islington and Haringey, are asking for the information reportedly in an effort to comply with equal opportunity rules. But critics attacked the questions, calling them unnecessary, intrusive and a waste of taxpayers’ money. In Islington people are quizzed on whether they have a ‘hidden impairment’, such as cancer, HIV or diabetes. They are also asked, ‘do you consider yourself to be a Gypsy or Traveller’, whether they are transgender, and: ‘how would you describe your sexual orientation’. Haringey Council asks: ‘Does your gender differ from your birth sex?’ Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Taxpayers will be alarmed to discover that their hard-earned cash is being wasted on such unnecessary and intrusive questions for people who just want to take out a book’.
Pray: for common sense to return to these councils so that intrusive personal questions will be dropped. (Pr.16:2)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/joining-an-islington-library-are-you-transgender/
