Opening Events

After the last eNewsletter a number expressed interest in an Open Day. There will be a Service of Dedication on Sunday 14 October (which because of pressures on space has to be by invitation only) but Open Days for all will be held from 10am-4pm on

• Saturday 3 November 2007
  
• Saturday 23 February 2008

More information later but book the dates now.

Developing Health

This annual course was the biggest ever, as CMF's overseas influence extends ever more widely. See Peter Armon's 'Biggest ever Refresher Course' report.

Submission, submission, submission

CMF made an online submission to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority on 'Hybrids and Chimeras: a consultation on the ethical and social implications of creating human/animal embryos in research'. We are against it! We cannot easily show you that submission, but details are available on request. Our Submission to the General Medical Council consultation on 'Consent: patients and doctors taking decisions together' can be seen on our website. We were much in agreement with most of the GMC draft but were able to highlight some possible omissions.

Members from the Junior Doctors' Committee and others with overseas responsibilities and interests contributed to the Tooke Inquiry on Modernising Medical Careers. From our unique perspective, we emphasised principles in three areas: encouraging and recognising experience overseas, supporting marriage and family life, and ending unjust discrimination.

Online questionnaire to members

The Tooke Inquiry on MMC specifically excluded MTAS, but we are in the process of inviting all CMF juniors who qualified in the relevant years to take part in an online questionnaire, about their experiences of this year's application process and about the role CMF did - or didn't - play in supporting them. If you are in that group, you'll be hearing.

We will learn a lot from this about the online process, about training, and about our pastoral support. This will inevitably be somewhat of a pilot but there will be future questionnaires to all on more issues. We want to hear from you.

Video on Human Tissue and Embryos bill

This controversial piece of draft legislation proposes creating animal-human hybrids, and removing the requirement for a father from those to be created by ART. It also opens up the possibility of amendments to abortion legislation. Christian Concern for our Nation have produced a 10- minute video which features some CMF staff and was shot entirely at our new headquarters. Could you use it in your church to alert them to the triple whammy facing us all this autumn?

Holidays

Over the summer holidays let's pray for each other, and particularly those juniors disappointed so far in getting training posts. As Samuel said in his farewell speech:

'…far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you' (1 Samuel 12: 23)