LifeZine No. 381: 13th Apr 06
High Court Battle Will Decide Status of Frozen Embryos
According to a report in the Irish Catholic newspaper, when we discuss the “tug-of-war” case involving three embryos that is about to go before the High Court in Ireland, “we need to keep front and centre the fact that it is a human being we are dealing with here, not a thing”. The case is “absolutely crucial” because the High Court is being asked to rule on the status of human embryos in the laboratory as distinct from in the womb. The judges will decide “who should be included in the circle of human life”, and therefore have the protection of the law, and who should be excluded from it and made subject to what is, in effect, “the law of the jungle”. Details: CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Fianna Fáil’s Pro-Life Credentials Challenged
According to the editor of the Irish family newspaper, Alive!, “Fianna Fáil (main political party in government) still enjoys, in some quarters, a reputation as a pro-life party”. But in fact, the editor argues, “the party, under Bertie Ahern and wagged by the PD (Progressive Democrats—junior coalition party in government) tail, has probably done more than any other party in the country to destroy the culture of life here”. The Government-appointed Crisis Pregnancy Agency views the killing of an unborn child as a “positive option” for a mother, and provides funding for the abortion industry. Furthermore, the Government’s failure to legislate to protect the human embryo has led to the “freezing” of embryos for years. Is that any way to respect a human being, the editor asked? Not only that, the Alive! editor pointed out, but in Europe, “Ireland regularly refuses to side with countries trying to promote a pro-life culture in the EU.” And the “list goes on and on”, he added. Alive! April. END.
Premature Babies are Blocking Beds, Says Royal College
Premature babies who need months of expensive care have been accused of “bed blocking” by one of Britain's medical authorities. In a consultation document, the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG) said that very premature babies were taking up intensive care space that could be used for healthier babies. In correspondence with the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, which is running a two-year inquiry into prolonging the lives of premature babies, the RCOG said: “Some weight should be given to economic considerations as there is a real issue in neo-natal units of ‘bed blocking’, whereby women have to be transferred in labour to other units, compromising both their and their babies' care.” Premature baby campaigners and mothers attacked the language used as “insensitive” and “a disgrace”. A spokesman for Bliss, the premature baby charity, criticised the RCOG for “insensitive: and “unhelpful” language. “The care of premature babies is already an area that is under-resourced and overstretched, and it is not helpful to suggest that their worth can be calculated in terms of money”, she said. The Daily Telegraph. March 27. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
British IVF Clinics and ‘Foetal Reduction’
British clinics are among the least successful in Europe at producing test tube babies, according to a league table published recently. There are also concerns that childless women are being channelled into treatments that are more expensive than at clinics elsewhere in Europe. While Belgium is top, with 40.5% of infertility patients becoming pregnant, British clinics manage only a 28.6% success rate, eclipsed by countries such as Slovenia and Ukraine. Although Britain produced the first test tube baby 28 years ago, it now lies 17th out of 23 countries that submitted data for the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) table. The figures also show that British clinics have the highest rate of complications caused by specialised drugs used for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), and the highest rate of abortion of healthy IVF babies with a technique called “foetal reduction”. The Sunday Times. March 26. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Pro-Life Values to the Forefront in Italian Elections
Abortion became a major issue in the recent general election in Italy. Both the Italian government and the opposition focussed on ethics and religion in the lead up to the general election on the 9th and 10th of April. Rocco Buttiglione, a top government minister known for his opposition to abortion, said in a television documentary on the abortion debate, “Politicians should not always tell people what they want to hear, but what they think is true.” BBC News. CLICK TO READ MORE.....
Hwang Woo-Suk Dismissed for Faked Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Seoul National University (SNU) officially fired disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk last week from his position of professor of veterinary medicine because of his leading role in faking embryonic stem cell research. The decision followed an investigation of Hwang after allegations of fraud began to surface in late 2005. SNU's disciplinary committee decided to cut Hwang's severance pay in half and the government will not be able to hire him for five years for any teaching or research position. The university will also cut the salaries of or suspend six other members of Hwang's team for participating in the hoax. LifeNews.com. CLICK TO READ MORE.....