News,

The Voluntary Euthanasia Society is planning to change its name to Dignity in Dying. VES director Deborah Annetts said the change was because many members felt uncomfortable with the use of 'euthanasia', a word she says has been 'misrepresented in the media'. The new name, which members will vote on at the Society's AGM next month, has been chosen to express 'the personal nature of exercising choice in end of life decisions'. [Daily Mail, 31 October]

A woman with a rare genetic disorder affecting 1 in 1000 women has given birth to two babies. Mrs. Claire Miles, 35, has two wombs and is one of only five women in Britain in 50 years with the condition to have delivered twins successfully. Noah and Maisie, weighing just under 5lbs each, were delivered by Caesarean section at 36 weeks gestation in June, though they are not technically twins, having been conceived and developed entirely separately. Mrs. Miles described her children as 'two miracles'. [Scotsman, 31 October]

The number of women obtaining the morning-after pill over the counter from chemists rather than from GPs or accident departments has risen from 27% to 50% over the past year, official figures record. Overall use of the MAP remains the same, with 7% of women and girls reporting using it more than once over the past year. The most often cited reason for taking the morning-after pill is condom failure (46%).[Daily Telegraph, 29 October]

South London members of the Patients First Network have expressed concern over a local pensioner's request for euthanasia. Mr John Starling, who suffers from various serious conditions including prostate cancer, has signed a living will setting out the exact point at which he wishes to be left to die. Mrs Antonia Tully said: 'My objection to euthanasia is that you die by neglect... I do not like the thought of anyone being in hospital and being treated like that. Mr Starling's case is so sad but the hospice movement and the huge progress in palliative care mean no one needs to die in pain.' Retired GP Dr. Margaret White, 86, also commented: 'I can't imagine anything more undignified than being killed by your doctor... You can't control pain 100% but you can control most of it. No one needs to die in pain. None of my patients did.' [icSouth London, 28 October]

Two researchers at Arizona State University have published a study in the British Medical Journal which claims that women who have abortions are less likely to suffer from depression or anxiety than those who carry 'unwanted pregnancies' to term. However, their study involving data from 1,247 women, is contradicted by a number of other studies which suggest that abortion does have traumatic psychological effects. Last year, researchers at Bowling Green State University published a study using data from 11,000 women, which showed that those who aborted an unexpected first pregnancy were 30% more likely to experience problems of anxiety than those who carried to term. The Elliott Institute says such findings correlate with those from over a dozen other studies in the past three years. [LifeNews.com 28 October]

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