LifeZine No. 534: 19th Oct 07
Inequalities in Health Begin in Womb—Report
Health inequalities begin in the womb with the economic and social background of mothers having a significant impact on the health of their children, a new Irish study has found. The findings are contained in one of the biggest medical research projects ever carried out in Ireland which involved monitoring the health of 40,000 people over seven years. President Mary McAleese recently launched the report at UCD’s Conway Institute. Its findings are to be published in full in the “Irish Medical Journal”. The study also examined more than 1,000 pregnant women in Galway and Dublin, and found that mothers who were well educated were less likely to have underweight babies—a factor that can causes health problems in later life. It also found that the educational status of the maternal grandmother could have a significant effect on the health of their grandchild. Details: CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Comments Over Abortion Issue 'Unhelpful'
The extreme criticism of lawmakers over the absence of pro-abortion legislation was not helpful and did not create the calm atmosphere necessary for consideration of this issue, Senator Labhras Ó Murchú of Fianna Fáil (main Government party) said. Senator Ó Murchú was reacting to calls from Seanad (Senate) members Ivana Bacik and David Norris for a debate on pro-abortion legislation. He pointed to a recent survey in which 75% of respondents were opposed to abortion. His comments were echoed by Senator Jim Walsh, also of Fianna Fáil, who welcomed the Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) and the Catholic Church in uniting to oppose the introduction of abortion. He added, "It's time the silent majority in this country spoke and articulated their views so that a small liberal minority don't, in fact, engineer a situation which would be very detrimental to even human rights in this country." The Irish Times. October 11. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
British MPs to Propose Bill Investigating Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Members of the British parliament want to add an amendment to an abortion bill to be debated next month, as the UK marks 40 years of legalised abortion. Labour Party MPs Claire Curtis-Thomas and Geraldine Smith say they want the abortion bill amended to tell women of the abortion-breast cancer link. Their amendment follows on the heels of new research showing the number of breast cancer cases in England will skyrocket with the high number of abortions. "This needs to be investigated properly. It is just another example of the possible physical repercussions women face" after an abortion, Smith said. "Women sometimes enter into an abortion quite lightly and in some cases it is being used as a form of birth control. We know there are psychological repercussions and it is now being shown that there are physical repercussions", she added. LifeNews.com. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Abortion Trawler Heads to Pro-Life Malta
The head of the pro-abortion group that operates the abortion ship that has targeted Ireland, Portugal and Poland is heading to Malta, one of the few pro-life European nations. Rebecca Gomperts will visit the island nation to deliver a speech advocating abortion. Gomperts is the director of Women on Waves, the pro-abortion organisation that has taken its converted fishing trawler to international waters outside pro-life nations to give women the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug. She hopes to persuade Maltese citizens to remove the nation from the list of three— including Ireland and Poland—that prohibit abortion. Pro-life advocates from the group Gift of Life say they plan to protest at the event. LifeNews.com. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
UNICEF Among Sponsors of New Campaign Promoting Abortion
A new global initiative was launched by various UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in New York last week that includes a call for legal abortion. Among the sponsors of the initiative called "Deliver Now for Women and Children" is the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN agency that persistently denies it supports abortion in any way, shape, or form. Marketed as a campaign to raise awareness of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on maternal and child health, the agenda of "Deliver Now" includes a call for “safe abortion" which is synonymous with legal abortion. The campaign is co-ordinated by The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, chaired by Kul Gautam, the deputy executive director of UNICEF and assistant secretary-general of the UN, whose members include among others, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, International Planned Parenthood Federation, government development agencies from the US, UK, Canada, and Bangladesh as well as WHO and UNFPA.
C-FAM/LifeSite.net. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
UN Agency Funds Abortion Advocacy Despite Denials
Besides UNICEF, further evidence has emerged that the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) supports abortion. The annual report of the Center for Reproductive Rights, a pro-abortion law firm in New York, NY, states that UNFPA was one of its largest financial contributors last year, donating $50,000. Mrs Thoraya Obaid, executive director of UNFPA, maintains that UNFPA is neutral on abortion. C-FAM. CLICK TO READ MORE.....