Maternal health prior to pregnancy may affect children's later health. Studies reported at a meeting in Pittsburgh, America, suggest that maternal nutrition, protein intake and level of fat in the mother's diet may cause damaging changes in her unborn child. [Medical News Today, 22 July] http://is.gd/1IzhV

Other stories:

Rocco Buttiglione, a prominent Catholic Italian politician says pro-lifers went wrong in pitting child against mother [National Catholic Reporter, 17 July] http://is.gd/1Hh6h

Cardinal Antonio Canizares, a senior Vatican official, says that Spain's laws, which "must protect the defenceless, are being used today to eliminate those who are weak, innocent and defenceless." [Catholic News Agency, 21 July] http://is.gd/1HiWV

A doctor in Spain who ran several abortion centres that did illegal abortions has been reinstated by the Barcelona Medical College [LifeNews.com, 20 July] http://is.gd/1Hibt

NARAL, one of America's main pro-abortion groups, has endorsed Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the US supreme court [LifeSiteNews.com, 21 July] http://is.gd/1HiIS

UK's Medical Research Council announces funding for adult stem cell projects [Medical Research Council, 20 July] http://is.gd/1Hham

One of Ireland's first sextuplets has died. [BBC, 21 July] http://is.gd/1HiRN

Millions of pounds which the government allocated for the care of terminally ill patients is not reaching the people it was intended to help, a hospice charity has claimed [Western Morning News, 20 July] http://is.gd/1Hhmt

Op-ed: "What's so civilised about a couple killing themselves?" [Belfast Telegraph, 21 July] http://is.gd/1HhFz

Irish op-ed supporting assisted suicide: "Nobody, nobody, can deny you the right to control your own destiny" [Irish Independent, 17 July] http://is.gd/1HhH8

Fathers to get £30 DNA paternity test over the counter [Daily Mail, 18 July] http://is.gd/1HhRU