News,
A UK Department of Health awareness campaign to try to attract more egg and sperm donors has been criticised as wasteful and ineffective, the Telegraph reports. The £300,000 campaign, which aimed to counter the drop in the number of donors following the ending of donor anonymity in the UK this year, has attracted just 486 calls to its helpline, many of whom may not be suitable. [The Telegraph, 3 July]
A number of doctors have called for women to be allowed 'DIY' chemical abortions at home following the completion of a pilot scheme conducted at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. 50 women took the RU-486 abortion drug at home and reported no medical problems. Under the 1967 Abortion Act, chemical and surgical abortions must be carried out at approved premises. John Sweeney of SPUC Scotland described the pilot scheme as a return to backstreet abortions. [Scotland on Sunday, 3 July]
The doctor whose 4D images of unborn babies hit the headlines last year has expressed disappointment at the British Medical Association's decision not to back a reduction in the upper time limit for abortion. Professor Stuart Campbell, who is pro-abortion, described abortion after 18 weeks as 'really quite barbaric' but supports early abortion and late term abortion for babies with disabilities. [The Sunday Herald, 3 July. See also Sunday Herald interview]
A UK fertility expert has warned that infertility could double in Europe within a decade. Professor Bill Ledger of Sheffield University told a European fertility conference that 'the sustainability of the population of Europe is at risk because there are too few children being born' and that women should be offered career breaks to enable them to have children younger. He also referred to the increase in obesity and sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia as factors in the rise in infertility. [Health Business, 4 July]
Oxford's Primary Care Trust is to expand a pilot scheme offering free morning after pills to teenagers to cover 24 pharmacies in the region. The sexual health development manager at Oxford City PCT said: "We are planning to do this by the end of the year, hopefully from November to December. We've still got lots of pharmacists to train and it's our aim to introduce a contraceptive training programme by then." [This is Oxfordshire, 2 July]
The US Supreme Court justice who reaffirmed the Roe v Wade ruling in 1992 has retired. Sandra Day O'Connor wrote of Roe v. Wade: "Our obligation is to define the liberty of all. We reaffirm the constitutionally protected liberty of women to obtain an abortion." Justice O'Connor's retirement creates the first vacancy on the Supreme Court for 11 years. [The Times of London and Lifenews.com, 1 July]
SPUC has warned that the Commission for Africa Report, brought to the attention of G8 leaders at the Summit in Edinburgh at the weekend, promotes abortion on demand in Africa. In a press release, John Smeaton, SPUC's National Director stated: "Abortion is never a just or humane solution to extreme poverty. Indeed, it is a sign that society is failing its most needy members. The laudable recommendations of the Report must not be undermined by the promotion of abortion on demand under the guise of sexual and reproductive health. The people of Africa deserve better than that." [SPUC press release]
To subscribe to SPUC's email information services, please visit www.spuc.org.uk/em-signup. The reliability of the news herein is dependent on that of the cited sources, which are paraphrased rather than quoted. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the society. © Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, 2018