News,

A study published in Human Reproduction has reported that women are more likely to have sex during the period of ovulation, increasing the chance of pregnancy. Researchers from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Durham, North Carolina, found the women they monitored, all of whom had been sterilised or fitted with an IUD, were 24% more likely to have intercourse during the fertile period than at other times. [The Guardian, 10 June ] Michigan's legislature has voted to ban partial birth abortion for the second year running, The Guardian reports. A veto on the ban by Governor Jennifer Granholm was bypassed by citizens' petition, but a court challenge is expected. [The Guardian, 9 June ] The Catholic bishop of Calgary, Canada, has publicly criticised Paul Martin the Prime Minister for his 'moral incoherence' on abortion. Paul Martin is often described as a 'devout Catholic' even though he actively supports abortion, a position which Bishop Henry wrote in a letter was 'a source of scandal in the Catholic community.' A campaign spokesman for the Prime Minister said that he 'has always indicated that his faith is something he takes very seriously but that it is separate and apart from his duties as Prime Minister.' [Globe and Mail, 9 June ] Laura Bush has spoken out against a liberalisation of US federal funding restrictions on embryonic stem cell research after Nancy Reagan argued that such research should be permitted and supported. Mrs Bush told NBC's Today show: "We need to balance the interest in science with moral issues." [CWNews, 9 June ] Congressman Jim Greenwood, a pro-abortion Republican, has said that the Food and Drug Administration is likely to reverse its decision not to allow over-the-counter sales of the morning after pill. Following a meeting with a FDA official, Mr Greenwood said that, although he was not given a guarantee, "he conveyed to me that the product would be approved." [Lifenews.com, 9 June ] A Michigan woman who aided the attempted suicide of a friend has been sentenced to three years probation. Lea Marie Thrush gave her friend a book on assisted suicide and a box of razor blades, which she used in an unsuccessful suicide bid. Ms Thrush has been ordered to pay her friend's medical bills of around $35,000. The only US state to allow assisted suicide is Oregon. [Lifenews.com, 9 June ]