News,

Abortion

• Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate, has accused President Barack Obama of wanting to set up a health care "death panel" that could condemn her Down syndrome baby [Telegraph, 9 August] http://is.gd/2a8zU
• Claim that more women attending post-abortion medical check-ups in Ireland [Irish Timesm, 9 August] http://is.gd/2a8G0

IVF; fertility treatment

• Women should have a thorough check of their fertility at age 30 to boost their odds of becoming a mother, according to an IVF doctor [Daily Mail, 10 August] http://is.gd/2a8ei
• Women wanting to become pregnant are as likely to succeed by giving up alcohol and caffeine than by attending a fertility clinic, a nutrition specialist claims [Marie Claire, 8 August] http://is.gd/2a9op

Population

• Fertility rates are on the rise in wealthy countries, a study finds [Medical News Today, 7 August] http://is.gd/2a9zN

Sexual health; teenage pregnancies

• More and more teenage girls in developing countries are using various birth control methods, but they are less consistent with it and have higher rates of unplanned pregnancy than adults, an international study claims [Reuters, 7 August] http://is.gd/2a9uF

Maternal health and unborn health

• Blood test proposed as alternative to amniocentesis [Guardian, 9 August] http://is.gd/2a8kF

Euthanasia and assisted suicide; disability

• Dame Joan Bakewell, the government's "voice of the elderly", has drawn up plans with her family and doctor to end her life [Telegraph, 9 August] http://is.gd/2a8Oy
• Letters on assisted suicide [Sunday Times, 9 August] http://is.gd/2a8Xt
• Concern about Oregon-style assisted suicide in the UK [Daily Mail, 8 August] http://is.gd/2a9gQ

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