Baroness Knight says:

I was elected to Parliament in 1966.  The following year, a young MP from Scotland introduced a Bill to legalise abortion.  In my constituency there is a famous hospital – the Queen Elizabeth, which is a part of the University of Birmingham.  Shortly after the Bill came into being, the Chief Gynaecologist and the Chief Psychiatrist from that hospital wrote to ask me for a joint interview, which of course I was happy to arrange.

They began by asking me how I intended to vote on this Bill; I said I really did not know much about the subject.  For the next hour and a half they talked, each drawing widely on the experience they had gained in a life-time of professional care.  They expressed their fears of what Parliament was about to do, and while they fully understood the reasons put forward for the Bill – a lot was being said about the horrors of back street abortions and the problems faced by those who had become pregnant without wishing to be – they had so many warnings, and, in the time over which they spoke to me, I became a dedicated opponent of what was proposed.

This did not endear me to my colleagues.  The Speaker rebuked me for being ‘emotional’ when I described precisely how an unborn child was literally torn to death in the course of being aborted, and said, quite truthfully, that it is illegal to treat any animal like that; for I knew from my doctor advisers that even an unborn child feels pain.  There were so many points on which (taking their specialist advice) I warned the House:  That although the Bill’s promoters swore it would never lead to abortion on demand, in fact, it would.  That abortions would eventually be done because the sex of the coming child was not what the mother wanted, or because the child might be defective in some way.  That abortion would be regarded as a means of contraception.  That it would lead to irresponsibility.  That there would be women who would suffer serious psychiatric problems after an abortion.  That millions of children, who could easily have been found happy adoptive homes would never even have a life at all.  I was reviled for stating these things, and I was the only woman MP who voted against the Bill.

Today, I earnestly wish that I had been wrong – yet every one of my warnings has come true.  I hope those who still fight for the smallest, the most helpless and the most innocent of all live creatures today, will not give up.  I know the Abortion law will remain on the Statute Book, but I weep for the six or seven million babies whom the Act has already denied a life, and for the women to whom they would have been born.

Signed Jill Knight, March 2012

The colloquium between these two experts, Dr Priscilla Coleman who is Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and Dr Patricia Casey who is Professor of Psychiatry at University College Dublin, was well attended by an audience comprised of medical academics and practitioners, together with many others involved in various aspects of crisis pregnancy and abortion, from both sides of the debate.

The attendance was much larger than expected and we apologise sincerely to those who had to stand.

We thank very sincerely the politicians who hosted the event, the Rt Hon Jeffrey Donaldson and Mr Stewart Jackson, and the many others who interrupted an extremely busy day in both Houses, in order to register their support, or did so by email.  We were pleased to greet in person Mrs Nadine Dorries, Mr Ian Paisley and Mr David Amess.

The ProLife Alliance extends thanks to colleagues from other pro-life groups who helped in the planning of the meeting, particularly Mrs Bernie Smyth from Precious Life NI, who brought personal good wishes from members of the DUP.  Christian Concern provided considerable practical help and advice.

A special thank you to Dr Peter Saunders, CEO of the Christian Medical Fellowship, who chaired the event with his usual gracious and competent expertise.

We acknowledge with particular gratitude the continued support and gracious presence at the meeting of Baroness Masham.  

In conclusion Baroness Knight addressed those present with a very moving message of encouragement, recollecting the 45 plus years she has been in Parliament, during which time she has spoken out fearlessly against the 1967 Abortion Act and its tragic aftermath.   We will shortly publish a reflection from her but in the meantime her message to those present on Tuesday was to ‘Hold firm and never give up.’

Professor Coleman will be in the McAuley Postgraduate Centre, Mater University Hospital, Dublin on Friday 9th March 4-6pm to give a further presentation.  This event is CME/CPD accredited.   

If anybody wishes to obtain the Powerpoint presentation from the meeting please get in touch with the ProLife Alliance.  Considerable material coordinated by Prof Coleman and others can be obtained on the WeCare website.  

Professor Keown spoke of unmet needs for care and pain relief, and argued that the ethical duty to provide it was clear under any philosophical system, whether Utilitarianism, Principlism (the principles being autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice) or Natural Law.

He cited the 2010 Montreal Declaration on inadequate pain management, and various agreements outlawing torture, in claiming that there is an international human right to preventative, curative and palliative health care.

He said that under British civil law, and that of the Commonwealth and USA, when a patient was unnecessarily left in pain, in theory an action for negligence would lie, since a breach of a duty of care causing loss or harm could be proved, although he knew of no actual case being brought. This could be against a doctor, or vicariously, and possibly directly, against a hospital or care provider.

In criminal law, it was clearly established by Mr. Justice Devlin’s clear exposition in the Bodkin Adams case 1957 that a doctor may legitimately give all necessary pain relief even if, as an unintended but unavoidable side effect, it shortens life. (Oncologists now believe that properly administered relief does not in fact usually do that.) In the case of Dr. Nigel Cox, convicted of attempted murder of a patient in 1992, the judge went further and stated there was not just a permission but a duty to alleviate pain.

For those with a duty of care to children and young people, to the mentally incompetent and even to animals, wilful neglect is a statutory criminal offence. Professor Keown suggested that there was a need for these provisions to be extended so that a person who ill treats or wilfully neglects any person in his care commits a statutory offence.

It was generally agreed that universal access to the best palliative care, not only for physical but for mental and spiritual needs, in all kinds of suffering, is the best answer to requests for any form of euthanasia, and should be available as soon as needed, not just when death is imminent.

Viewers can share their own thoughts and feelings about abortion and comment on the speakers on the 4thought website. The ProLife Alliance urges viewers to do so.

Those on Twitter or Facebook can put messages on and follow the debate.

The films will be shown as follows:

Monday 15th November at 7.55pm – Rachel Bass

Practising Christian Rachel Bass decided to have an abortion after discovering her baby was severely disabled, but believes that God understands the difficult decision she had to make.

Tuesday 16th November at 7.55pm – Dr Trevor Stammers

Dr Trevor Stammers is a Christian who has been a practising GP for over 30 years. He refuses to personally refer women for abortions and believes there is a growing uneasiness in the medical profession about the vast numbers of abortions performed simply because women see children as a “social inconvenience”.

Wednesday 17th November at 7.55pm – Professor Wendy Savage

Professor Wendy Savage is a retired obstetrician and gynaecologist and the co-ordinator of Doctors for a Woman’s Choice on Abortion. She believes that abortion is an important medical procedure and that religious groups should not tell women what they should do with their lives.

Thursday 18th November at 7.55pm – John Smeaton

National Director of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child John Smeaton is fundamentally opposed to abortion in all cases. He believes that the same arguments that were used to justify slavery are now being used to justify abortion.

Friday 19th November at 7.25pm – Cat Stark

Twenty-seven year old Cat Stark had an abortion when she fell pregnant at university. She believes that it is patronising that women have to satisfy a list of criteria before being allowed an abortion and thinks that the 24 week time limit should be removed, as women are best-placed to make decisions about their own bodies.

Saturday 20th November at 7pm – Kiran Kaur

Sikh Kiran Kaur has a six-month-old daughter and is dismayed that women in the Asian community are still aborting their female babies for social reasons. She believes this is fundamentally at odds with the Sikh faith which preaches the equality of men and women.

Sunday 21st November at 7.05pm – Lucy Cavendish

Writer Lucy Cavendish had two abortions before starting her family. She viewed them as practical not moral decisions, and thinks it is wrong to bring a baby into the world that you do not want.

This is the fourth annual All-Ireland Rally for Life and is the most important event in the Irish prolife calendar. We urge all our Irish supporters to attend if they can.

The event begins at 2pm in Custom House Square, Belfast. For more information visit the Rally for Life website.

The event will begin at 7pm and finish by 10pm. It will be held in the Julian Hodge Lecture Theatre, which is on Column Drive, off Column Road. The motion for the debate is “This house would ban abortions”. It promises to be a thought-provoking and interesting discussion of the arguments in favour of and in opposition to the abolition of abortion. We strongly encourage anyone in the Cardiff area to attend.