News,

The director of the Spinal Repair Unit at University College, London, has announced trials of a new treatment for patients with spinal cord injuries. 10 patients will be treated at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London using stem cells taken from the lining of their noses. Professor Geoffrey Raisman warned that patients with spinal injuries should not get their hopes up but the trial raises the possibility that adult stem cell transplants could allow patients to recover sensation, movement and other functions in the future. [The Telegraph, 30 November]

A member of the US Senate has said that Food and Drug Administration officials have informed him that sales of the RU-486 abortion drug may be limited if more women are found to have died as a result of using it. Jim DeMint Rep. said that he is 'very hopeful' that the FDA will suspend sales of RU-486. [Lifenews.com, 29 November]

Officials from six European countries have objected to EU funding for embryonic stem cell research. Malta, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovakia and Poland have petitioned the EU to support adult stem cell research instead and to leave decisions about such matters to individual states. [LifeSiteNews.com, 29 November]

A Scottish politician's proposed assisted dying bill has failed because of lack of support from other MSPs. Only five MSPs endorsed the bill, which needed 18 signatures to enter the parliamentary process. Jeremy Purvis MSP said that he would continue to challenge the law on assisted dying. [This is North Scotland, 30 November] Ian Murray, SPUC Scotland's Director said: "SPUC supporters in Scotland made very clear to their MSPs their strong opposition to such a measure. It would appear that the message has been taken to heart by Scotland's elected representatives and our lobbying efforts have paid off this time. However we shall not be resting on our laurels. We will be encouraging our supporters to put the same effort into lobbying Scotland's MPs at Westminster to play their part in defeating Lord Joffe's Bill if and when it reaches the House of Commons."

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