News,

The US House of Representatives has approved legislation that would permit more federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, Reuters reports. The bill passed 238-194 votes, but needed a two-thirds majority to avoid a presidential veto. A statement from the White House commented that the bill "relies on unsupported scientific assertions to promote morally troubling and socially controversial research." [Reuters, 25 May]

The number of abortions in Scotland rose last year, according to official figures, with one in four pregnancies ending in abortion. SPUC Scotland called for more relationship education to encourage responsible behaviour, whilst the director of the Family Planning Association called for more sex education. [The Scotsman, 25 May]

A paediatrician from Leicestershire has argued that parents should not always be told the sex of their unborn child amid concerns by religious leaders that some Asian women living in Britain are undergoing abortions when they find out that they are carrying a girl. Dr Sudhir Sethi is a member of a campaign against the abortion of unwanted girls. The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust said in a statement: "We are not aware of any concerns surrounding this issue." [The Scotsman, 24 May]

Amnesty International has drawn attention to the human rights violations being carried out against women in China in the name of the one-child policy. Atrocities include forced abortions and sterilisations, the imprisonment and torture of a campaigner against forced abortion and sex selective abortion of girls. [The Guardian, 25 May]

A spokeswoman for SPUC commented: "Abortion is an invasive, violent act that exploits women and ends innocent lives. International agencies that promote coercive population control should have their funding stopped immediately." Next month, a group of young SPUC members are holding a 24-hour fast and silent witness in protest against forced and coercive abortion. The scientist who heads the Newcastle team that recently cloned a human embryo has called on women to donate their eggs to embryo research. Dr Miodrag Stojkovic said that women undergoing IVF should donate their extra eggs to research as many of the eggs that are currently being used are old and not as useful to scientists. [Reuters, 24 May]

Cardinal Daneels of Belgium has rebuked the pro-abortion organisation 'Catholics' for a Free Choice after they asked their supporters to send him letters thanking him for his stance on condoms. Cardinal Daneels described their behaviour as 'deplorable', saying that the only solution to the spread of AIDS is "moral education that teaches chastity and fidelity to one's husband or wife." [LifeSiteNews.com, 24 May]

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