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Disclosure of religious beliefs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Mark Blackwell*
Affiliation:
Sutton Home Treatment Team, Sutton General Hospital, Surrey SM2 5NF, UK. Email: mark.blackwell@swlstg-tr.nhs.uk
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Abstract

Type
Columns
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2009 

Cooper Reference Cooper1 states ‘we all start from a position determined in part by personal background, and readers will not fully understand comments unless such things are known’, referring to Casey's Reference Casey, Oates, Jones and Cantwell2 commentary on Fergusson et al Reference Fergusson, Horwood and Boden3 and her Catholic faith. This seems to suggest that however sound our reasoning may be, it must be taken with a pinch of salt because one is a Catholic. Perhaps a Black man's arguments against racism would be similarly invalid. No doubt Professor Cooper would not want an upsurge in anti-Catholic bigotry, but his suggestions may not prevent it.

References

1 Cooper, JE. Abortion and mental health disorders. Br J Psychiatry 2009; 194: 570.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2 Casey, P, Oates, M, Jones, I, Cantwell, R. Invited commentaries on … Abortion and mental health disorders. Br J Psychiatry 2008; 193: 452–4.Google Scholar
3 Fergusson, DM, Horwood, LJ, Boden, JM. Abortion and mental health disorders: evidence from a 30-year longitudinal study. Br J Psychiatry 2008; 193: 444–51.Google Scholar
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