News,
The Catholic Archbishop of St Louis, Missouri, has said that he would deny communion to Mr Rudy Giuliani, a prospective candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, because of the latter's support for abortion. Most Rev Raymond Burke said that a Catholic who publicly espoused positions contrary to the moral law was publicly sinning, and should not approach communion. The archbishop is expected to push for this stance to be taken in a document on political responsibility to be issued by the US bishops before next year's election. [Guardian, 3 October] Leaders of family organisations have responded to Mr Giuliani's popularity by threatening to withdraw their support for the Republican party because of his support for abortion and same-sex unions. [CNA on EWTN, 3 October] Mrs Hillary Clinton, a Democrat contender, has said that, if elected president, she would lift restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. In an address to the Carnegie Institution for Science, she accused the Bush administration of allowing political ideology to interfere with research and scientific evidence, citing officials who have questioned the evidence for global warming and who have suggested a link between abortion and breast cancer. [AP, 4 October]
At the end of their annual meeting, the Catholic bishops of Ireland have announced that they are working with the bishops of England, Wales and Scotland to focus public opinion on the importance of protecting all human life. Their statement also condemned the decision of Amnesty International to support access to abortion and commended the work of CURA, the Catholic Church's crisis pregnancy agency. [Irish Independent, 4 October] Catholics in the Dominican Republic are planning a campaign in opposition to a proposal under review in the nation's congress to repeal penalties for abortion. The campaign will begin with nation-wide protests and end with a march through Santo Domingo, the capital city, on 28 October. Other activities include Mass in the congress building and pro-life works by a variety of artists to be displayed or performed outside the congress. [LifeSite, 3 October]
An American medical journal has published a study, entitled The Breast Cancer Epidemic, which shows that abortion is the best predictor of breast cancer. In his study, Mr Patrick Carroll of the Pension and Population Research Institute in London, UK, demonstrated a correlation between abortion rates and incidence of breast cancer in several countries. He also noted greater incidence of breast cancer (but not other cancers) among upper-class and upwardly mobile women in four countries, and suggested that this was because of the prevalence of abortion among these women who often delay child-bearing while pursuing higher education and professional careers. [LifeSite, 3 October]
The British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology reports a sharp unexpected fall in anti-depressant use during early pregnancy, suggesting that women stop taking the drugs when they become pregnant out of concern for their babies. Lead author Dr Anick Berard, of the CHU Sainte Justine Hospital, Montreal, Canada, said that, given the safety of most of these drugs during pregnancy, discontinuing their use could do more harm than good. [Reuters, 3 October]
Scientists at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, have developed an anaesthetic that blocks pain without impairing movement, touch, or mental awareness. It is likely to be a useful alternative to epidurals during child-birth, allowing mothers to be more responsive to their bodies and aware of the experience. The new drug contains a chemical obtained from chilli peppers. Trials on rats have been successful. [Times, 4 October]
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