News,

Scientists at Cambridge University are studying a molecule that helps embryos to implant in the womb, with the intention of developing a form of abortifacient birth control that does not cause the side effects of the Pill. A drug that blocks the STAT3 molecule would prevent the embryo from attaching to the lining of the uterus, thereby causing an early abortion. The research was funded by the World Health Organisation. [BBC, 5 June]

The G8 International Parliamentarians' Conference on Development in Africa is meeting in the Scottish Parliament today to propose a set of recommendations for the G8 leaders. They are expected to place 'sexual and reproductive health' as a top priority. The conference has been organised by the Inter-European parliamentary Forum on Population and Development, Interact Worldwide, the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and the World Bank. [The Scotsman, 6 June]

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics is considering suggestions that premature babies born in the UK at under 24 weeks gestation should not be offered treatment, the Daily Telegraph reports. Baroness Warnock agreed, saying: "Some doctors and nurses get competitive about the triumph of keeping these tiny premature babies alive. It would be better to set a minimum age than to have no form of scrutiny or regulation." Bonnie Green of Bliss, the premature baby charity, disagreed, saying: "We would not support an arbitrary limit below which babies are not resuscitated. Every baby and pregnancy is individual." [The Telegraph, 6 June]

A woman who allegedly stabbed her baby to death because he or she reminded her of her rapist, is being used by Argentina's feminist movement to re-open the debate on abortion. Romina Tejerina, 21, did not report that she had been raped and killed the baby shortly after giving birth in secret. Her defence team has argued that she committed the murder during a psychotic episode. Gines Gonzalez Garcia, Argentina's Health Minister, has spoken in favour of decriminalising abortion in case of rape. [The Guardian, 6 June]

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