News,

Midwives in Scotland are calling for more action to prevent maternal mortality in developing world. The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood is supporting the midwives' call. [Herald, 5 May] John Smeaton, SPUC director, pointed out the White Ribbon Alliance's anti-life philosophy and said he would be urging Christian members of the Alliance to leave the body. [SPUC director's blog]

Japanese scientists are seeking to grow human organs in animals. A pancreas derived from monkey stem cells has been attached to a sheep as part of the experiments. The experiments are aimed at increasing the relatively low number of organs available for transplantation in Japan. [Times, 5 May]

The Irish government has established an inquiry into maternal deaths in Ireland. The inquiry is based on a similar one conducted in Britain. [Irish Times, 5 May] Ireland, where abortion is illegal, has the best maternal health statistics in the world.

A Lebanese woman has been convicted in Dubai of the manslaughter of her unborn child following a traffic accident. The woman, who was nine months pregnant, was judged guilty of having caused the accident. The court said the rights of unborn babies needed to be protected. [BBC, 4 May]

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