News,

The first of three lawsuits filed against the partial-birth abortion ban began on Monday in New York. The National Abortion Federation is arguing that the ban is unconstitutional and compromises a woman's right to abortion. A spokeswoman for the US Justice Department said: "This violent practice is unnecessary, as well as painful and cruel to the partially-born child. A bipartisan majority in Congress reached this conclusion after eight years of testimony from respected medical professionals who stated that partial-birth abortion is never medically necessary." [Lifenews.com, 29 March]


A poll organised by the Isle of Man's pro-euthanasia group Manx For Death With Dignity has found that a third of doctors who responded have received requests for 'assisted dying'. Only one in five doctors surveyed chose to respond. [Isle of Man Online, 29 March]


UK scientists are preparing to conduct gene therapy on an unborn child to treat the blood clotting disorder Haemophilia B. Foetal mice have already been successfully treated using a 'tamed' Human Immunodeficiency Virus, according to a report given to the British Society for Gene Therapy by Dr Simon Waddington from Imperial College, London. It is hoped that treatments derived from the virus could eventually be used to treat such conditions as muscular dystrophy and cystic fybrosis. [The Telegraph, 20 March]


A Maltese newspaper has drawn attention to the number of Maltese children aborted in UK clinics, LifeSiteNews.com reports. 190 such abortions have been carried out in the UK since 2000 and concerns have been raised that Malta's entry into the European Union could jeopardise its pro-life constitution. However, in 2002, the Maltese Permanent Delegate to the EU, Ambassador Victor Camilleri stated: "Not only is abortion illegal in Malta but successive governments... have been strongly committed to retaining the legal prohibition and have held this position also in the context of European and international fora, not least at the level of the UN." [LifeSiteNews.com, 29 March]

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