Statement on the Anscombe Bioethics Centre

In recent years, particularly in light of the serious economic impact of the Covid pandemic, the three Bishops’ Conferences that had historically supported the Anscombe Bioethics Centre – England and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland – struggled to find the required long-term funding for its ongoing work.

A wide range of national and international options to secure the Centre’s continuation, including university partnerships and professional fundraising support, were explored. Unfortunately, the various approaches proved unable to secure the Centre’s future.

As such, in line with employment law, a period of consultation was undertaken regarding the ongoing staffing of the Centre. That period of consultation ended on 31 July 2025. The Anscombe Bioethics Centre, in its current form as a staffed concern, will now close.

A process of discernment follows to consider how best to safeguard the Centre’s acclaimed body of research and rich repository of digital resources. In terms of the latter, this will be to ensure these resources are available to the Catholic community, and wider society, in perpetuity.

We are grateful for the work that the Centre has carried out since its founding in 1977, work which has had a hugely positive impact on the field of bioethics and its wider societal reception. We are grateful to the current staff under the directorship of Prof David Albert Jones, and to all those who have served the Centre since its inception at the impetus of the late Prof. Luke Gormally.

Governing Body of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre;
Trustees of the Catholic Trust for England and Wales

On behalf of the Bishops of England and Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, we wish to further express gratitude for the internationally renowned work of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre and for all those who have served its mission over the past 48 years. The Bishops will continue passionately to defend the intrinsic dignity of human life from conception to natural death, and, where appropriate, will consult with leading Catholic bioethicists on matters of shared concern.

Bishop Governors of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre