News,

A senior public health official has recommended the teaching of sex education to five-year-olds. Dr Charles Saunders, chairman of the British Medical Association's consultants' committee in Scotland, said many children were "already experimenting" sexually by 12 and were therefore being exposed to risks. A spokesman for the Catholic church in Scotland said: "It's way over their heads at five years old and would be as pointless as giving them a talk on alcohol." [Telegraph, 31 December]

Former clients of Dr Mohamed Taranissi plan to sue him after it was revealed that his IVF clinic in London was unlicensed. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority ruled that his Reproductive Genetics Institute had treated an estimated 250 patients in 2005 without a valid licence. Muiris Lyons, a London lawyer who is handling the case, said: "Potentially all would be eligible to make a claim. Even if they were satisfied with the treatment they received, at the very least they may be entitled to have the cost of the treatment back because it was provided without a licence." [Observer, 30 December]

The new Argentinian governor of La Pampa has vetoed pro-abortion legislation that would have legalised abortion in most cases up to the ninth month of pregnancy. Following an outspoken opposition campaign by a bishop, Mr Oscar Jorge vetoed the proposals within a week, saying that they went against the "restrictive spirit" of Argentina's abortion laws. Bishop Rinaldo Fidel Bredice of Santa Rosa said: "To approve abortion is an inhuman crime against innocents." [LifeSite, 19 December]

According to a recent survey, 22% of adult Americans believe that embryonic stem cell research is no longer necessary following the discovery that human skin cells can perform the same function in research as stem cells from embryos. The survey also shows that three quarters of the US public favour stem cell research that does not involve embryos. [Mathaba, 19 December]

A new development will allow mothers to download pictures of ultrasound scans of their babies. [Telegraph, 20 December]

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