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Opinion,
Comment & Reviews
Abortion politics |
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Mass
resignations at SPUC 19/7/99
By Maxine Lattimer
Last week it emerged that Phyllis Bowman, the founder and
political director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn
Children (SPUC), had resigned last month along with at least
six other members of the executive. The future of the organisation
is now in doubt. Members of the Pro-Life Parliamentary Group
have written to SPUC expressing their fear that the resignations
signal a more conservative approach which could alienate Protestant,
Muslim and atheist supporters. This week the Shadow Home Secretary,
Ann Widdecombe, will be meeting other anti-abortion MPs like
Tory MP Ann Winterton and cross bencher Lord Alton, to discuss
the fate of SPUC. The new SPUC chairman, Chris Walsh, has
been summoned to Westminster by members of the Pro-Life All
Party Parliamentary Group. The group is said to be disillusioned
with the leadership of the SPUC national director, John Smeaton,
and believe the SPUC is distancing itself from Parliament
to forge a closer alliance with the Catholic Church.
It has also emerged that seven former top SPUC executives
have written to all the Society's national council members
to tell them of their 'extreme disquiet' at recent developments
and the hostility 'shown towards staff who dare to raise grievances
or criticise Mr Smeaton. A former senior SPUC member said
the 'a climate of fear pervades the Society at the moment.
You cannot even raise a genuine question without major problems.
As a result most people chose to resign after a period of
years.' And predicted that at the meeting between SPUC and
anti-abortion MPs 'there's no doubt they'll be delivering
a few home truths with steel toe caps and spiked boots. Miss
Widdecombe doesn't mince her words and she's furious about
what's going on. The group's position is that they have absolutely
no confidence in Smeaton. They believe him to be politically
ignorant, contemptuous of them and dragging the society off
into right-wing Vatican politics. That view might or might
not be true, but the question is one of confidence and you
can never restore confidence in political terms. I cannot
see that there is anything SPUC can do to restore confidence
short of John Smeaton's resignation.'
Signatories to the letter sent to SPUC's National Council
by former senior staff members claim they are not writing
'out of a sense of anger or conspiracy'. They 'unconditionally
support SPUC's aims and objectives.' However, they go on to
refer to the recent letter from the Parliamentary Pro-Life
Group expressing unease at SPUC's direction: 'We wish to record
our support for the sentiments expressed in their letter and
record our own extreme disquiet with developments within the
Society at national level and certain staff changes.' Later
the letter says 'Some of us distinctly recall the hostility
shown to 'dissident' staff members and would seek to alert
you to this possibility. At times indeed the raising of grievances
or criticisms to John Smeaton, the current National Director,
was, in our experience, seemingly deemed as a breach of staff
discipline.' John Smeaton himself refused to shed light on
the resignations and denied a split. He said 'There has been
no disagreement about policy and the group is now more united
than ever. Our fundamental and primary objective remains the
battle in British Parliament to defend human life from conception
to death.
This latest news from SPUC shows clearly that the anti abortion
lobby have lost the battle in terms of affecting a change
in the abortion law in this country and making abortion provision
more restrictive. It is little wonder that SPUC are abandoning
their parliamentary campaign and seeking alternative strategies,
such as forging links with the Roman Catholic Church. It highlights
the difficulties anti abortion groups are currently experiencing
when presenting extreme and out dated views that are not supported
by public opinion. |
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