Changing Unjust Laws Justly: Pro-Life Solidarity with "The Last and Least"

Acknowledgments

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S As acknowledged in the Preface, I am indebted above all to Alison Davis. A mere expression of thanks does not do justice to her contribution to this book. Several scholars, some of whom have expressed considerable disagreement with my line of thought, have helped me to develop the argument of this book by their comments on early drafts of different parts of the text. Particular thanks are due to Fr. Peter Bristow, Fr. Kevin L. Flannery, S.J., Fr. Jaroslaw Merecki, S.D.S., Richard Myers, and Fr. Martin Rhonheimer. I am especially grateful to Colin Mason, Charles Rice, Chris Tollefsen, and Helen Watt for reading the whole book and suggesting many corrections. I am also sincerely grateful to the following people—some of whom have serious objections to my general thesis—who have generously assisted my research: David Alton , Michael Baker, Bishop Christopher Budd, Theresa Croshaw, John Finnis, Fr. John Fleming, Damian P. Fedoryka, Fr. Hermann Geissler, F.S.O., Robert P. George, Robin Haig, William May, Bernard Sadler, Fr. Tadeusz Styczen, S.D.S., and Ted Watt. In addition to extracts from published material, the book includes extracts from recorded interviews. I am very grateful to those who agreed to be interviewed: Ruth Bailey, Agnes Fletcher, Rachel Hurst, Peter McLean, and John Smeaton. I have benefited from the use of the libraries at the Maryvale Institute , Birmingham, and the Linacre Centre for Healthcare Ethics, London , and am grateful to the librarians and staff at these institutions for all their assistance. I am also grateful for the assistance given by the SPUC Educational Research Trust. I am very grateful to Gregory LaNave at The Catholic University of America Press for overseeing the process from book proposal to published work. I very much appreciate his helpfulness, as well as that of xv Elizabeth Benevides and Susan Needham, during the review and publication process. Much of the material for Chapter 6 was taken from “Inconsistent Papal Approaches towards Problems of Conscience?” National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly 2, no. 1 (2002): 99–122, and some of the material from Chapter 9 was taken from “Challenging a Consensus: Why Evangelium Vitae Does Not Permit Legislators to Vote for ‘Imperfect Legislation ,’” in Luke Gormally, ed., Culture of Life—Culture of Death (London: Linacre Centre, 2002), 322–42. I am grateful to the editors of these volumes for permission to use this material. The texts of the Abortion (Amendment) Bill reproduced in the Appendices and the typographical arrangement of the text are Parliamentary Copyright. The Acts of Parliament are reproduced in the Appendices under the terms of Crown Copyright Policy Guidance issued by H.M.S.O. As with any undertaking, the support and prayers of family and friends have been an invaluable contribution. The encouragement and support of those who have contacted me because they share my concerns has been greatly appreciated, and I am especially indebted to Patrick Delaney. My involvement with the pro-life movement, especially with the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), dates back to 1983. Since then I have enjoyed many friendships with pro-life colleagues that have endured in spite of serious differences of opinion— and I hope these friendships will continue in spite of this book! I believe my critique of SPUC’s (and my own former) support for restrictive legislation is fairly made, but it must also be accompanied by an acknowledgment of the impressive commitment to the pro-life cause—in some cases, for many years and at great personal cost—demonstrated by SPUC’s leaders and members. In particular, I readily acknowledge the dedication of SPUC’s former national director, Phyllis Bowman, and its current national director, John Smeaton. After twenty years as colleagues and friends, they know me well enough to recognize that if any aspect of my critique of SPUC’s activities under their leadership is in any way unfair, it has nevertheless been made honestly and with good will toward them and the UK pro-life movement to which they have dedicated themselves. xvi acknowledgments changing unjust laws JUSTLY ...