These articles were first published in our October edition of the newspaper, click here for more.
Professor Richard Dawkins apologised in late August for tweeting that it would be immoral for a mother to continue with a pregnancy if she knew that the foetus had Down’s syndrome.
However, Dawkins still asserted that abortion was the correct choice based on his own morality, which is to increase the sum of happiness and reduce suffering, as he believes it is immoral from the child’s perspective not to abort the baby.
Fertility pioneer and Labour Peer, Lord Winston, has reversed his position and voiced his support for the introduction of three parent IVF, it was reported in late August.
In an interview with The Times, Lord Winston claimed that his previous comments indicating his opposition to the techniques were quoted out of context. He asserted that he will vote in favour of the regulations when they are debated in the House of Lords.
Scientists and doctors, in mid-August, praised the potential of adult stem cell research, as an alternative to controversial embryonic research as it was announced that five stroke victims are showing remarkable signs of recovery after undergoing pioneering treatment using their own stem cells extracted from their own bone marrow.
The research done at University College London and published in the scientific journal Neuron, involved re-growing spinal cord neurons from a patient’s own cells. When implanted into the spines of rats, these neurons rapidly formed connections deep into the animal’s brain and along its spine.
An ‘aggressive form of secularism’ is pushing faith out of the public square, the former Attorney General warned in late August.
Dominic Grieve said there is a ‘sanitisation’ of religion from the workplace, which will lead to people being ‘excluded’ from society and that ‘recognising people’s right to manifest their faith and express it is very important’. In April, a survey of 2,000 people suggested that Christians are afforded less protection for their beliefs by the state compared to those who practise other religions.
In a survey, commissioned by 5 News, a quarter of parents who were asked about their children’s interaction with video games, including age 18-rated games such as Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty, said the graphic content is affecting the behaviour of their child.
In the games, alongside murder, players can steal, and solicit prostitutes. Child protection expert Sharon Girling believes part of the problem is that many parents do not understand how graphic the games are even if they are age rated.
It was reported in mid-August that the nationwide hotel chain Travelodge has removed Bibles from all of its rooms.
Bibles provided free by the Gideons have been taken away to avoid discriminating against any other religion. The removals reportedly took place after refurbishment work across the hotel chain, which replaced the drawers where Bibles were being kept.
Children raised in marital homes are better behaved than those brought up by unmarried parents, according to major research funded by the Department for Education reported in mid-September.
The study of around 3,000 children aged three to 16 found that those with married parents showed lower levels of anti-social attitudes and hyperactivity. They were also more confident, kind and responsible, according to the research from the University of Oxford and the University of London.