A few years back I attended a seminar by a colleague who had worked as a volunteer dentist in a hospital in Uganda. Conditions in the hospital weren’t great. She frequently worked out in the open air to get enough…
A Culture of Life
Surrogacy
The story of baby Gammy's abandonment by his biological parents for having Down syndrome has opened up a wide discussion around surrogacy. As the days go on, more information is being revealed about the biological parents of the 7 month…
The STD superbug
For the last 60 years, we have enjoyed a period where most infections have been easy to treat. That time could be coming to an end. I should know, I’ve worked in the area of antimicrobial drug resistance. It’s…
The Wrong of rights
Teenagers are often accused of thinking that the world revolves around them. This phase usually passes especially after heading out into the ‘real world’ and discovering that they are but a ‘cog’ in the enormous kaleidoscope of life. We observe…
Living and dying with faith, hope and love
Yesterday I attended the Requiem Mass for a man whose life profoundly affected mine - Dr Peter Scanlon. It was a beautiful Requiem - solemn, a little bit joyful at times and a reminder that our eyes must always be…
Life affirming ultrasound
I recently had the experience of sitting in on a 19 week pregnancy scan. For my wife and I it was the first chance to see our new child and as such, we were both looking forward to it. For…
Abortion and pre abortion visits
When the topic of liberalising abortion comes up, as it has recently, invariably there is talk about “increasing access” and reducing the number of visits required before a woman can have an abortion. New Zealand law stipulates that the woman…
NZ abortion figures drop again, but don’t forget the numbers are about real people
Statistics New Zealand has today released the induced abortion figures for 2013, and the numbers are very welcome. The recorded abortions have dropped for the sixth consecutive year to 14,073. This is the lowest since 2007 when there were 18,382…
Read More NZ abortion figures drop again, but don’t forget the numbers are about real people
Decriminalisation of what?
Decriminalising’ abortion is in the media again. It’s not the first time it’s been in the news and it certainly will not be the last time. This time it looks like it’s going to be an election issue, or at…
The Edges of Life
The edges of life are controversial. On one side there are the debates about contraception, abortion and in vitro fertilisation. At the end of life the debates are about euthanasia, organ transplantation, and its cousin, brain death. Trauma surgeon Peter…