News,

A British couple are to ask doctors to select an embryo on the grounds of suitability for providing transplant tissue for their daughter who suffers from Fanconi anaemia. Mr and Mrs Damien Phillipson of Tyne and Wear are seeking the same type of procedure as the parents of Molly Nash, an American six-year-old with the same condition. It is not clear if any medical facility has agreed to perform the selection and in vitro fertilisation. [The Times ] The French National Assembly has passed a law which will allow pharmacists and school nurses to provide abortifacient morning-after pills to girls under the age of consent. [Catholic World News ] Two US congressmen have accused the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of making a mistake in approving the RU-486 abortion pill, and have introduced bills to tighten standards for doctors providing the substance. Representatives Tom Coburn and Tim Hutchinson claim that the FDA caved in to groups who wanted easy access to abortion. Their proposed laws would allow doctors to prescribe RU-486 only if they were legally able to perform abortions, had been trained in administering the substance and could admit patients to a nearby hospital. [CNN ] Voters in Colorado will tomorrow decide whether women considering abortion should be required to wait for 24 hours and be given literature describing the procedure's risks and the alternatives. Planned Parenthood say the proposed measure erodes the right to choose. [Washington Post ] A counter on the Life Institute's website suggests that there have been nearly 1.3 billion surgical abortions worldwide since the Roe v. Wade decision in January 1973. This figure would not include all abortions performed in countries such as Britain, where abortion was made legal before the landmark US judgement. [Life Institute ] Mr Jean Chrétien, the pro-abortion Canadian prime minister, has described himself as a good Catholic. He said that religion was separate from politics. [Life Institute ]