News,

Doctors in Israel have succeeded in using cells from aborted unborn children to grow functioning kidneys inside mice. A team at the Weizmann Institute of Science extracted kidney precursor stem cells from foetuses aborted between seven and eight weeks' gestation and transplanted them into mice. The cells then developed into functioning kidneys without any dangerous immune response. The researchers also achieved success in growing kidneys from pig cells, although some experts believe that the use of human foetal cells to grow new organs would present fewer health risks for recipients. [BBC News online, 23 December ] Legislation proposed in Taiwan would require pregnant women to receive psychological counselling before having an abortion. Taiwanese women have a right to abortion under the Genetic Health Law, but Chiang Chi-weng, a member of Taiwan's legislature, has proposed an amendment to this law to add a requirement of two hours' counselling as well as a six-day cooling off period. Ms Chi-weng said that her bill would balance the rights of women with those of unborn children, but pro-abortionists claimed that such limitations would only lead to a higher rate of illegal abortions. [Taipei Times, 23 December ] A prominent Maltese expert on relations with the European Union has been reassuring his countrymen on the implications of EU membership for Malta's pro-life laws. Dr Simon Busuttil explained that the Protocol on Abortion, which will be annexed to Malta's EU accession treaty, will be legally binding and will ensure that Maltese law would take precedence over any EU law which could affect abortion. This would include the free movement of persons and services within the EU, thus ensuring that no foreign doctors could provide abortion within Malta. [di-ve news, 23 December ] Ireland also has a protocol on abortion, but now funds the promotion of abortion directly and through the EU budget. Vietnam plans to reduce its birth rate next year, while cutting the number of registered abortions by 5%. The country's Committee for Population and Family Planning also announced yesterday that it would strive to meet all demands for "reproductive health and family planning services". [Xinhua, 22 December; via Northern Light ] There were about 679,000 recorded abortions in Vietnam in 2000, a total which equated to over half the number of children born alive. Coercion is thought to play a part in Vietnam's population control policy. Pro-lifers in the US have reacted cautiously to reports that Senator Bill Frist is the favourite to replace Senator Trent Lott as Republican majority leader in the US Senate. Senator Lott, who was committed to a bill on partial birth abortions and had said that up to five anti-abortion bills would be put before congress next year [see digests for 8 November and 2 December ], resigned last week after he appeared to comment approvingly on racial segregation. Reports suggest that Senator Bill Frist normally votes pro-life, but supported President Clinton's nomination of a pro-abortion surgeon general and supports abortion in cases of rape or incest. [AP and Pro-Life Infonet , 20 December]