I had to look away. It shows a 21-week-old unborn baby, Samuel Alexander Armas, being operated on by a surgeon called Jospeh Bruner.

The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother's womb. During the procedure, the doctor removed the uterus via a Caesarean section and made a small incision to operate on the baby.

As Dr Bruner completed the surgery on little Samuel, he reached his tiny, but fully developed, hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger.

Dr Bruner said that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile.

Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture.

She said: "This photo reminds us my pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person.

Samuel was born eight years ago in perfect health, the operation 100 per cent successful.

Here is a man saving life. Contrast this with the abhorrent fact that there has been discussion some months ago, prompted by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on permitting the ending of life of seriously disabled newborn babies.

In response to the Nuffield Council's consultation of prolonging life in foetuses and the newborn, the college submission to the inquiry stated: "We would like the working party to think more radically about non-resuscitation, withdrawal of treatment decisions, the best interests test and active euthanasia as there are ways of widening the management options available to the sickest of newborns."

Initially, the inquiry did not address euthanasia of newborns as this is illegal in Britain but the college succeeded in having it considered.
While it says it is not formally calling for active euthanasia to be introduced, it wanted the mercy killing of newborn babies to be debated by society.

The report does not spell out which conditions might justify euthanasia, but in the Netherlands mercy killing is permitted for a range of incurable conditions, including spina bifida and the painful skin condition called epiderolysis bullosa.

Thank God the Nuffield Council's report ruled that there should be no such mercy killings here, stating: "Despite different personal views on whether any form of active ending of life could ever be ethically justifiable, the Working Party unreservedly rejects the active ending of neonatal life even when we would view that life as 'intolerable.

"Furthermore, we unanimously rejected the notion that there should be a law or laws expressly and exclusively allowing ending the life of newborn babies."

But, like Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, I remain unconvinced that this repellent, repulsive, morally and ethically wrong notion will not rear its ugly head again. The slippery slope has been reached and that's why I am delighted to have signed the SPUC's Petition Against Infanticide.

All life is sacred whatever state that life may be in and I believe it is only God who has the right to take it.

I asked the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists where they stand on this issue, given that it was at their instigation such discussion was held.

I was told: "We are no longer calling for a discussion on that.
" We were invited to provide our views and we provided them exclusively to the Nuffield Council. We are not asking for further debate and not saying that these views are still active. They are no longer active."

How I hope and pray this is true. Otherwise we are truly on the road to hell. And where would it all end? If you weren't killed off at birth because of a major defect would you run the risk later? Who would be playing God?

I believe it is crucial that the 28,000-plus petition of SPUC is presented by wheelchair-bound Alison Davies, who in spite of being born with spina bifida, is leading a vital life.

Sunderland mother Sheila Swann, whose only son Mike was born with spina bifida 42 years ago, told me she was totally opposed to mercy killings and regarded them as "condemning people to death."

Her son works in advertising in London. And as Sheila added: "What do they want, a population looking like Jordan? And destroy all the Stephen Hawkings of this world?"

She said if spina bifida babies were killed at birth, children like her Mike would never stand a chance, even though no-one would know how seriously they would be affected.

Sunderland Royal Hospital rejected my request for two senior consultant gynaecologists to talk to me on the issue.

l Sunderland Society for the Protection of Unborn Children secretary, Margaret Mendez 0191 5655770.

Don't get caught by this scam

YET another scam. And make no mistake plenty will have already fallen for it.

Just make sure you aren't one to be taken in by the empty promise of sharing in £7,492,998 by sending £15 to a PO box number in Colchester.

The elderly and the vulnerable are the very ones preyed upon by this scum who call themselves Sentinel Marketing Group – there is no telephone number for them.

The photocopied letter, bearing a Las Vegas postmark, urges the recipient to send a "documentation fee of £15. Pay by cash, cheque or money order to SMG."

Don't be duped. And if you have received such a demand, contact Sunderland City Council's Trading Standards department on 5205555 or the Office of Fair Trading hotline 0207 2118111.

Ban sex toys ad

RICHARD, can I use sex toys? I asked our deputy editor.

The very mention of the V word and Anne Summers had sent Richard into paroxysms of laughter. "Please, don't mention them," was his response.

The newsroom had fallen silent – but not for long – and I was met by a cacophony of "Linda, can you get any free samples?"

Joking apart, I was not amused that such an explicit Anne Summers advert, has gone up in the MetroCentre, near to Big Lukes – where else?
It is wrong that children should be exposed in this way and I hope mothers and fathers who share my view will make it known to MetroCentre management as I have.

They have still to get back to me with a comment.

Au revoir, then

NUMBER one son never fails to surprise me. As he revved his car out of the drive the other night I thought his parting shot was: "I'm joining the Foreign Legion."

"Things can't be that bad." I said, only for the bemused son to reply: "I said the French Allegiance.

"It's where you go to drink wine and eat cheese and practise talking French in Newcastle once a week."

C'est la vie.