The protests against the Director of Public Prosecution’s
refusal to prosecute two doctors who aborted babies because they were girls have continued. A group of 50 MPs, with wide-ranging views on abortion, have signed
a letter that suggests the DPP’s actions are unconstitutional; this is because
the MPs claim that the DPP’s decision effectively changes UK law. The DPP has
explained his original decision as being because doctors have “wide-ranging
latitude to interpret the law”, and insisted it is a matter for the General
Medical Council to deal with as professional misconduct; but the GMC has been
quoted as saying it “is not a substitute for criminal justice” and its role is
not to “punish” doctors.
A possible alternative to military intervention in Syria has
arisen: following prompting by Russia, President Assad has offered to give up
his chemical weapons. However, he is making the offer conditional on the USA
ceasing to arm the rebels, which raises concerns about future imbalances in
conventional weapons.
A banner that reads “One Life Can Make A Difference; Protect
Human Life Week” in the city of Kamloops, British Columbia, has been the
subject of complaints from atheists who say it promotes a religious point of
view. But the city has refused to take it down; a member of the Kamloops
Pro-Life Society said that “while Christian faith might be a motivational
factor behind people working in the pro-life movement, this group frames the
issue as one of human rights.” And a local journalist said, “While many people
have theological views that oppose abortion, the most convincing arguments are
based on reason.”
Scotland now have a double world champion – the first ever –
in canoe slalom. David Florence added the two-man title to his singles title by
a margin of just 0.04 seconds.
Twelve men have been arrested in Hounslow after a bogus
maintenance engineer tried to install a KVM switch, which allows multiple
computers to be controlled by a single user, at a branch of Santander bank.
Scotland Yard said the potential losses for the bank could have run to millions
of pounds.
The pressure group Scotland for Marriage has made a written
request to Scotland’s Equal Opportunities Commission that parents should be
allowed to exempt their children from classes on gay marriage. It points out
that parents already have an opt-out on sex education and religious observance.
However, a Green MSP claims that this request “effectively calls for wide
ranging discrimination in public services.” Meanwhile, some suggestions have
been made that the Church of Scotland might give up conducting marriages if the
Bill passes without any exceptions for freedom of conscience.
In tennis, Andy Murray played his first Davis Cup match for two
years and helped guide Britain back into the World Group. Britain have not won
a match in the World Group since 1986.
And finally, a medical survey in the USA has revealed the
most dangerous sporting activity for young women: cheerleading. 70% of all “catastrophic”
injuries to young women last year were attributed to cheerleading. Those most
at risk are not those who are thrown high in the air, but their catchers.
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