17 November 2005

News,

A 19-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis who travelled to the Netherlands for stem cell treatment has claimed that it has transformed her life. Amanda Bryson underwent therapy involving cells taken from umbilical cords and says that she is now able to walk, having previously needed a wheelchair. However, experts have warned that the treatment has not undergone clinical trials and may pose serious risks. [The Scottish Herald, 17 November] Researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden have warned women not to delay having a second child until their late 30s and early 40s. The study, published in the Human Reproduction journal, found that 97% of men and 98% of women questioned wanted to have children but one in eight women wanted to postpone having her final baby until her 40s. Dr Claudia Lampic, who led the study, said that women needed to be aware that female fertility declines by the mid-30s. [The Telegraph, 17 November] Research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology has warned that high caffeine consumption during pregnancy many increase the risk of miscarriage. The Danish study reported that women who drink four to seven cups per day have a 33% increased risk of having a miscarriage than those who avoid coffee during pregnancy. [Nursing Times, 17 November] The Bishop of Motherwell has expressed support for Sue Axon's legal battle to require parents to be informed if their teenage daughters seek abortion. Bishop Joseph Devine described the Government's double standards regarding parental responsibility and secret abortions for minors as 'perverse and obscene.' [Evening Times, 16 November] Two cardinals have spoken out against the introduction of the RU-486 abortion drug into two regions of Italy. Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, President of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, stated: "An abortion, small or great, is always a homicide". Cardinal Camillo Ruini, President of the Italian Bishops' Conference and Vicar General of Rome, said of the drug: "A further step is taken on the path that leads to not perceiving the nature of abortion, which is the elimination of an innocent human life." [Zenit, 15 November]

To subscribe to SPUC's email information services, please visit www.spuc.org.uk/em-signup. The reliability of the news herein is dependent on that of the cited sources, which are paraphrased rather than quoted. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the society. © Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, 2018

17 November 2005

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