UK & Ireland in Brief

Following Sir Keir Starmer’s apology for visiting the vaccination centre at Jesus House church, north London, Pastor Agu Irukwu (see photo) responded to the charges that the church is anti-LGBT and advocates conversion therapy: ‘It is incompatible with being a true follower of Jesus Christ to be anti-anyone. The cross reminds us that we all need Jesus.

‘We do not engage in any form of conversion therapy. The church provides appropriate pastoral support, including prayer, to all our members, whatever their circumstances. This is consistent with freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the government’s current position.’

An NHS gender clinic in Scotland has been accused of misleading young people over the effects of experimental puberty-blocking drugs.

It was revealed that officials at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which manages Sandyford Sexual Health Clinic, refused to acknowledge publicly that those drugs have long-term effects on bone density, growth and brain development. The clinic only withdrew a leaflet claiming the drugs were ‘fully reversible’ in June last year, despite being aware of research stating the opposite much earlier.

Youth for Christ has launched its ‘Pray Through May’ initiative. It is a call to lift young people to God in prayer, that they might have freedom from darkness, life through Jesus, and perseverance in the faith.

It has three key aims: to bring together the ministry of Youth for Christ, at both national and local level, in focused prayer for particular needs within youth culture; to draw the wider Christian community together to pray for young people; and to give young people a vision, the tools and an opportunity to pray for their peers.

A blanket worship ban remains in place in Ireland a full year since it was introduced.

Religious freedom charity, ADF International, has called the ban disproportionate, asking why churches ‘are deemed too dangerous to open their doors, even to masked and distanced worshippers’.

‘Ireland’s restrictions on religious worship are now the most far-reaching in Europe. Freedom of religion is a fundamental right, secured by the Irish Constitution and international law. The blanket ban in Ireland is clearly disproportionate compared to elsewhere in Europe,’ said Lorcan Price, Legal Counsel for ADF.

Leading bioethicist Dr Calum MacKellar, Director of Research for the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, has said laws which currently allow abortion on the basis of disability are ‘incompatible’ with the ‘very basis of a civilised and inclusive society’.

His comments come in the run up to the important High Court case challenging the law on this aspect of abortion. In the UK, abortion is generally permitted up to 24 weeks – but is available up to birth for children deemed to have a disability, even those with Down’s syndrome or cleft palate.