Key Quotes for 2011

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Last update: Wednesday 25th March




The first baby with three biological parents could be conceived next year after the Government announced a major review of Britain's fertility laws. The move would allow doctors to use a revolutionary IVF technique that prevents incurable, deadly genetic illnesses being passed down from mothers to their children. Babies created with the therapy - called three-parent IVF - would inherit 98 per cent of their DNA from their 'real' parents. The rest would come from a female donor. The scientists say the donor genes would not alter the children's appearance or personality, but would stop them dying from painful diseases of the heart, liver and brain. But the revelation has horrified embryo campaigners who accused doctors of 'meddling around with the delicate building blocks of life'. It also raises questions about parental rights and whether the donor parent would have any say in the upbringing of a child.
The Law	Mail on Sunday March 12th 2011



A Christian cou¬ple, Owen and Eunice Johns, were recently banned from fostering children because of their belief that homosexuality is wrong. Ten days ago, two senior judges concluded that the right of homosexuals to equality 'should take precedence' over the right of Chris¬tians to manifest their beliefs and moral values. On Tuesday, David Cameron blundered into the controversy. The Prime Minister asserted that the couple had been dealt with in an 'appropriate way', and added that Christians must be 'tolerant and welcoming and broad-minded' towards homosexuality. That same day, another judge in a different court ruled that the 'deeply held' beliefs of a prominent animal rights cam¬paigner and hunt saboteur called Joe Hashman should be protected from discrimination in the same way as religion.
Religious Persecution	Daily Mail March 10th 2011



It’s no joke being stuck in a hospital bed. But it seems that the old adage is true - laughter really is the best medicine. It is likely to put you on the road to recovery more quickly than any hi-tech treatment, simply by increasing your circulation, researchers have found. A five-year study of patients with leg ulcers has established that a hearty chuckle stimulates the diaphragm which, in turn, plays a vital part in moving blood around the body. It actually speeds recovery from leg ulcers, said the report by the University of Leeds' School of Healthcare.
Health	Daily Mail March 10th 2011



A recent report reveals that fewer than ten per cent of Dutch women work full-time and they face one of the highest wage gaps in Europe. But the surprise is it's not just mums with young families who work only two or three days a week, or older women who care for elderly relatives: it is child-free women in their 20s and 30s, too. And, it seems, it makes them incredibly happy. A new book, Dutch Women Don't Get Depressed, explains that the reason they don't is because the majority work part-time. They earn less and have less. Many live off their partner. But they don't care. They want to relax, read a book, see their friends. Studies show that Dutch women don’t want to spend more time at work: they refuse extended hours at their jobs, even if they don’t have children. And they are horrified by British women's lack of free time.
World Issues	Daily Mail March 10th 2011



Explicit cartoons, films and books have been cleared for use to teach sex education to school¬children as young as five. A disturbing dossier exposes a wide range of graphic resources recom¬mended for primary school lessons. The shocking material - promoted by local councils and even the BBC - teaches youngsters about adult language and sexual intercourse. 'The Primary School Sex and Relationships Education Pack' by HIT UK, includes material to allow children aged five to 11 to learn about different sexual positions and prostitution. The dossier, compiled by the Christian Institute, also pinpoints a book called Let's Talk About Sex, by Robie H Harris, which includes a chapter on hetero-sexuality called 'Straight and Gay'.
Education	Daily Mail March 8th 2011



Girls aged 16 are getting drunk more often than their male peers, research reveals today. Rising numbers are knocking back the equivalent of half a bottle of vodka at a time, according to a major study. Over the last decade girls have caught up with boys, and although they consume less than boys at a time, they are getting drunk more frequently. The study at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm found 80 per cent of all 15 to 16year-olds drink regularly, usually downing at least five units at once. The research, based on data on more than 38,370 teenagers from 23 countries, found Britain is one of only two countries in Europe - the other being Norway - where girls drink more often than boys. But girls are less likely to binge drink if they have very close bonds with parents - particularly their mother. Girls who regularly sit down to family meals are less likely to start drinking as they fear breaching their parents' trust. Anna-Karin Danielsson, who reported on the study, said the risk among boys 'is considerably reduced when parents keep an eye on what they get up to'.
Social Issues	Daily Mail March 8th 2011



The BBC is facing some of the biggest cutbacks in its history following a deal that has seen the licence fee frozen for six years. But while staff are losing their jobs and programmes are set to be axed, the BBC has decided to spend thousands of pounds hiring an external company to conduct an 'internal census', the Mail has learned. Staff were shocked to receive an email from management earlier this week telling them it had hired pollsters Ipsos MORI to 'understand better the diversity of BBC employees'. All of the BBC's 17,000 plus staff have been invited to voluntarily disclose their 'sex¬ual orientation', 'ethnicity', 'disability' and 'religion' in the questionnaire, emailed to workers on Monday.
Media	Daily Mail March 8th 2011



Humanist attempts to persuade people to tick the ‘no religion box’ on the census form are ‘misconceived and unnecessary’ according to the think tank Theos. The campaign was launched with posters on buses and railway stations. Humanists are annoyed that in the last census 37 million people in England and Wales claimed to be Christian. They attempted to have the question changed on this year’s form and have complained that the Office of National Statistics did not accept their recommendation. Theos point out that the Humanists have failed to acknowledge that the ‘no religion’ option is the first one printed in the questionnaire and that the religious question is the only one that is optional on the census form.
Social Issues	The Church of England Newspaper 19th March 2011



David Cameron has put his faith in entrepreneurs to pull the UK out of the doldrums. The Prime Minister dismissed “cowardly” calls for public spending cuts to be eased. He said: “There’s only one strategy for growth we can have now and that’s doing everything possible to make it easier for businesses to grow, to invest, to take people on.”
Politics	The Sentinel - 7th March 2011



Research by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has found that 5.26 million people worked unpaid overtime last year – one in five workers and the highest since records began in 1992. The analysis carried out for the TUC’s Work Your Proper Hours Day found that those doing unpaid overtime clocked up seven hours and 12 minutes a week on average, worth £5,485 per person and a record £28.9bn to the economy.
Work/Employment	The Universe – 6th March 2011



Church leaders are concerned that dioceses could be sued for thousands of pounds if parishes refuse to allow gay groups to use their halls. Their fears have been sparked by legal advice given to a diocese in England and Wales that a refusal would amount to discrimination under the equality act, which came into effect last October. This could lead to legal action and the prospect of having to pay damages of between £600 and £30,000 plus legal costs were they to lose a case.
Religion/Spirituality	The Tablet (Salvationist) - 5th March 2011



An American study has found that women who are regular church attenders are more immune to life’s setbacks, and are happier overall than those who do not go at all. Alexander Ross of the Institute for the Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia, found that church attendance was a significant factor in the reported happiness of women over the age of 36.
Health	Church Times (Salvationist) – 5th March 2011



A new survey suggests that more than 80% of 18-25-year-olds believe that monogamous relationships are desirable. The Study found that 83.2% of the sample gave strong support for monogamous relationships rather than polygamous, whether that was within a married or non-married context. However, 39.4% said that monogamy is a good ideal for a partnered relationship, but that it was increasingly difficult to achieve that in the current culture.
Social Issues	Church of England Newspaper - 4th March 2011



Deputy PM Nick Clegg mounted a strong defence of multiculturalism yesterday; just weeks after David Cameron attacked the concept. The Lib Dem leader said he believed multiculturalism should be the hallmark of “an open, confident society”. Last month Cameron warned a “doctrine of state multiculturalism” encouraged cultures to lead separate lives.
Politics	The Sentinel – 4th March 2011



More than a decade after the last government launched its NHS Cancer Plan Reform Strategy, the gap in survival rates between England and the best-performing European countries has not closed, a parliamentary report said today. According to Department of Health estimates, 10,000 lives could be saved each year if the NHS in England matched the best in Europe, said the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee.
Health	The Sentinel – 1st March 2011

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