News,

The Colorado mortuary that gave the ashes of aborted babies to a local Catholic church for burial has apologised to the abortion facility concerned. The Avista Adventist Hospital will now ask women what they want to do with the remains of their babies after they have been aborted and those that are not claimed will be disposed of at a non-religious burial site. [The Guardian, 27 January]

A man charged with the murder of his newly-married daughter has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act after he went on hunger strike and asked to be left to die. Terry Rodgers stopped eating on Christmas Eve and signed an advance directive stating that he did not want to be fed. However, psychiatrists determined that he did not have the mental capacity to make such a decision and he is now likely to be force-fed. [Ashfield Today, 26 January]

The erroneously named pro-abortion organisation 'Catholics' For a Free Choice is preparing for the World Social Forum in Brazil as part of its campaign to legalise abortion there. The Forum will involve discussion on decriminalising abortion, the circulation of pro-abortion material and a statement of commitment to the campaign for delegates to sign. [CWNews, 26 January]

A teenager with a family history of breast cancer has won a lawsuit against a US abortion facility for not informing her of the psychological risks of abortion and the increased risk of breast cancer. All Women's Health Services of Portland, Oregon, agreed to give an undisclosed amount to the girl without the case going to trial. [LifeSiteNews.com, 26 January]

Italy's Catholic bishops have issued a statement opposing a proposed referendum that may weaken the country's fertility laws. In the statement they say: "As it stands, the law, although it does not correspond to the Church's ethical teaching, has the merit, nevertheless, of safeguarding some essential principles and criteria." [Zenit, 26 January]

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