News,

The legislature of Honduras has voted to ban the morning-after pill. Members of Honduras's Congress argued that the morning-after pill is abortifacient and therefore violates Honduras's constitutional ban on abortion. The measure passed bans the purchase, sale, use and distribution of the morning-after pill. [Catholic News Agency, 7 April]

A grassroots pro-life campaign claims to have saved almost four hundred babies from abortion. The 40 Days for Life campaign, which is close to completion, is being held in America, Canada, Australia and Northern Ireland. The campaign involves prayer, fasting and vigils outside abortion centres. [Catholic News Agency, 7 April]

An international pro-life medics organisation has expressed concern about threats to conscientious objection. MaterCare International was responding to the imminent removal by President Obama's administration of measures enacted by former President George W. Bush for medics who refuse to be complicit in abortion. Professor Robert Walley of MaterCare said: "To force doctors to perform procedures they believe to be unethical, immoral and clearly harmful to mother and unborn child and to threaten their right to practise if they should refuse is a form of totalitarianism and amounts to discrimination and persecution." [MaterCare, 6 April]

Informal reports from clinics suggest economic problems in America are leading to more abortions. A Planned Parenthood spokeswoman suggested that unemployment meant couples were reluctant to continue with pregnancies. The National Abortion Federation reported more telephone enquiries. Pro-life activists said abortion providers were exploiting the crisis. [Telegraph, 4 April]

The Kansas house of representatives have approved a bill which would partly restrict late abortions. Doctors would have to write reports including medical reasons for such terminations. The senate was due to consider the measure next. [KansasCity.com, 3 April]

An Anglican bishop has said that a Church of England report paved the way for the legalisation of abortion in Britain. Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester, writes that a 1965 Anglican document "left the door open for the 1967 [Abortion] Act to include provisions which would later be used to widen considerably the availability of abortion." [Sunday Telegraph, 5 April]

Researchers at Southampton University, England, have used stem cells from adult bone marrow to repair bone. Scientists at Keele University have used similar tissue to treat damaged cartilage. [Financial Times, 7 April]

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