News,

Rotary International, which describes itself as a global network for community volunteers, has reiterated its support for the pro-abortion United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Frank Devlyn, president of Rotary, said that his organisation was joining forces with the UNFPA to fight the "population explosion". He said that Rotary would only contribute to family planning initiatives [many of which entail the promotion of abortion and abortifacient methods of birth control] when this was in accordance with the cultural and religious values of the local population. [The Age, 7 June ] The Alberta College of Pharmacists has decided not to request the power to dispense the abortifacient morning-after pill without a doctor's prescription. Pharmacists in the Canadian province had voted by 68 percent in favour of the change [see news digest for 4 June ], but this represented only a small proportion of all the pharmacists because only about 30 percent of them voted at all. Members of the college have directed their executive council to consider promoting the reclassification of the morning-after pill as a drug available from pharmacists nationwide rather than at a provincial level. [The Edmonton Sun, 5 June; via Pro-Life E-News] Almost nine out of 10 Americans oppose human cloning, according to a national opinion poll. The survey, conducted by Gallup, indicates that 89 percent believe that the cloning of humans should not be allowed. [Gallup, 7 June ] The government of Western Australia is considering whether to abolish laws which prohibit the genetic screening of test-tube babies. A parliamentary select committee recommended over two years ago that pre-implantation genetic testing should be allowed to screen out babies with conditions such as Down's syndrome or cystic fibrosis, but not to determine sex or physical characteristics. A spokeswoman for Bob Kucera, the health minister, confirmed that the issue was under consideration. [The West Australian, 5 June ] A 24-year-old American farm worker has been sent to prison by a county court in New York state for second-degree abortion. Danny R Court had pleaded guilty to the offence after admitting spiking his pregnant girlfriend's drink with a drug used to abort calves. [AP, 6 June; via Pro-Life Infonet] An American chemistry professor has resigned from her academic post in order to fight the US Food and Drug Administration's ban on reproductive human cloning. Professor Brigitte Boisselier, director of Clonaid, said: "I'm fighting for the freedom of choice of reproduction ... if you want to reproduce using your genes only, because it is an option now, you should be allowed to do that." Professor Boisselier is a bishop of the Raelian cult, which regards cloning as the key to eternal life. [The Syracuse Newspapers, 6 June ; also see news digest for 11 October 2000 ]