News,

The White House has rejected calls to end restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, The Guardian reports. President Bush limited federal funding of embryonic stem cell research to 78 existing cell lines in 2001 but has come under pressure in recent months to relax the restrictions. Scott McClellan, a White House spokesman, said that the President stood by his policy. "The president doesn't believe we should be creating life for the sole purpose of destroying life," he said. [The Guardian, 14 June ] Dana Rosemary Scallon the Irish MEP known for her support for life and family has narrowly lost her European Parliament seat. Dana put her elimination from the running down to growing support for Sinn Fein and the competition of another female Independent candidate. [Reuters, 14 June ] SPUC paid tribute to Dana's work in Europe and her outspoken defence of human life. Dana has earned the respect of pro-life organisations around the world and was presented with an award from the International Right to Life Federation at SPUC's European Conference this year. Earlier in the year she received the prestigious St Benedetto pro-life award in Rome for her work for life and family. [SPUC source] A new study has found no association between the use of IVF drugs and increased risk of ovarian cancer. However, the authors of the study published in Obstetrics and Gynaecology said that women who have received treatment should continue to be monitored as they grow older. [Medical News Today, 15 June ] The UK Department of Health has defended National Health Service hospitals that refuse to tell pregnant women the sex of their unborn child during ultrasound scans. The main reasons given for not identifying gender were the added cost of scans and the possibility of complaints and litigation if it was wrongly identified. Suggestions that gender identification might encourage sex selection abortion were dismissed. [The Guardian, 15 June ]