LifeZine.No. 507: 31st Jul 07
Irish Medical Council to Review Ethical guidelines—Public Submissions Invited
The Medical Council is a statutory body established by the Medical Practitioners Act, 1978. The objective of the Council is to protect the interests of the general public in their interactions with registered medical practitioners. In addition, the Council is required to give guidance to the medical profession generally on all matters relating to ethical conduct and behaviour. To date this has been achieved through the periodic publication of “A Guide to Ethical Conduct and Behaviour”. The Medical Council, through its Ethics Committee, is currently in the process of reviewing the provisions of the current edition in preparation for the production of the 7th edition of “A Guide to Ethical Conduct and Behaviour”. The Medical Council invites members of the public and interested groups and bodies to participate in the review process by making submissions in relation to any aspect of the current guide. Family & Life intends to make a submission—particularly in relation to right to life matters. Details: CLICK TO READ MORE.....
IVF Death in Ireland: Inquiry Flags ‘Problems’ in Hospital Care
An inquiry into the death of a woman during IVF treatment at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital has criticised the management of her care. The report of the inquiry into the death of 32-year-old Jacqueline Rushton also points to a “lack of senior control” at the hospital during her treatment. Only a few days into her in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment in December 2002, Mrs Rushton developed a rare disorder called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. During treatment, the Raheny-born nurse’s body became “waterlogged” and produced nearly eight times the normal peak amount of oestrogen. The inquiry has found that during her care there was “inconsistent compliance” with obstetric and gynaecological guidelines in how the disorder was treated. The report goes on to criticise the lack of compliance with regard the use of fluids, the use of drugs to flush out Mrs Rushton’s system and procedures used to remove excess fluids from her abdomen with a needle. Mrs Rushton died on January 14, 2003. The Irish Examiner. CLICK TO READ MORE..... END.
Private IVF Clinics are 'Exploiting Women'
Private IVF clinics in the UK are offering infertile couples unproven and expensive treatments because they are so desperate for business, one of Britain's leading IVF medicine experts has claimed. Professor Charles Rodeck, of University College Hospital, London, told the “Observer” newspaper: "The commercial world of IVF provision is a very competitive one, so some clinics try to keep a step ahead by offering more interventions than their competitors, even if they know those procedures might not work." The Observer. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
England and Wales Celebrate Day for Life
The Catholic Church “positively supports young women in crisis pregnancies and never condemns women who have had abortions”, the Archbishop of Cardiff, Wales, Most Rev Peter Smith, has said. Speaking on the Church's Day for Life recently, the archbishop said women needed "a lot of support, space and time for counselling and reflection to see that there are other ways that do not involve the killing of a human life. And for those men and women who are suffering the pain of an abortion, the Church will always be there for you. Christ is waiting for you in the sacrament of reconciliation." Zenit. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Spain: Families to Get Birth Subsidy
Spain's Prime Minister has announced financial assistance worth €3,000 to Spanish families for each new child. José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said in his state of the nation address that Spain "needs more families with more children" to continue on its current path of sustained economic growth. Spain’s population has topped 45 million and annual births reached 480,000 last year, with immigrant mothers responsible for 16.46% of the total. 16% of the population—7.3 million Spaniards—is aged over 65 years. In 2006, the National Statistics Institute recorded a birth rate of 1.37 children for each woman in Spain. Labor Minister Jesus Caldera said the subsidy would extend to families who are adopting children, and foster parents. AP.The Boston Globe. END.
Amnesty Defends Stand on Abortion Support
Amnesty International has defended its stand on abortion following criticism by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, told Rt Rev William S Skylstad, Bishop of Spokane, Washington state, and conference president, that the conference had "incorrectly asserted that AI has adopted a 'pro-abortion stand'". He claimed, rather, that Amnesty "seeks to ensure that women and men can exercise their sexual and reproductive rights free from coercion, discrimination and violence". Until April, Amnesty International's official position on abortion had been neutral. A new series of decisions has treated abortion, in the cases of rape, incest or threat to the mother's life, as a human right. Widney Brown, senior policy and campaigns director for Amnesty, said: "Where women have unwanted pregnancies as a result of sexual violence, including incest, they should have access to abortions and those abortions should be safe.” Kate Gilmore, the organisation’s Deputy General Secretary, while claiming to have considered the arguments on both sides, made clear that she believed that the new policy “stayed true to human rights” and was the right thing to do. The Guardian. LifeSite.net. CLICK TO READ MORE.....