Abortion drugs are being sold on the internet. A survey of people who bought the substances that way suggests that around one woman in 10 needed surgery after taking them. The service reportedly only sends RU486 to countries where it deems the law against abortion to be strict; this includes Ireland, north and south. Women must state that they are less than nine weeks' pregnant. The research on the site's customers was published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. [BBC, 11 July] An SPUC spokesman said: "Not only do these drugs kill the unborn but they are a threat to women's health. Their supply and use could well be illegal in many jurisdictions, even those which permit abortion in approved places. Since the web is global, international effort is needed to stop this morbid, dangerous, trafficking in death."
The Romanian 11-year-old who travelled to Britain for an abortion has reportedly had the termination in London at 21 weeks' gestation. Marie Stopes International allegedly arranged the procedure at a state hospital. Reports persist that the Romanian Orthodox church would not condemn the abortion. [LifeSiteNews, 10 July]
It is asserted that the British government postponed debate on its Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill because it feared that Catholic voters in a by-election would punish its Labour party candidate. [Scotsman, 11 July] Health ministers are reportedly displeased at the postponement, which took them by surprise. [Guardian, 11 July]
A woman who petitioned the president of India for euthanasia two years ago says she now regrets doing so. Mrs Seema Sood, 37, has had rheumatoid arthritis but, thanks to prosthetic operations, can now walk, though with difficulty. She says: "Don't give up on life." [Times of India, 11 July] Alison Davis of No Less Human is quoted on this matter in the blog of SPUC's national director. She writes: "Euthanasia would have robbed Mrs Sood of the chance to recover her love of life, and to benefit from the surgery which revolutionised her life, and no one would have known that life held something better for her in the future. She is not the only vulnerable person who has changed her mind about wanting to die. I've been through the same experience myself." [John Smeaton, 11 July]
Most babies from ethnically British families are born to unmarried mothers, according to UK government statistics. Migrant mothers are more likely to give birth in wedlock. [Daily Mail, 11 July] The fertility-rate of women in the UK has returned to 1970s levels, with the average woman having 1.91 children. Of 690,000 births last year, two thirds were born to women originally from overseas. [Telegraph, 10 July]
Today is the United Nations' world population day and the UN is calling for more birth control. [BBC, 11 July] Mr Steve Mosher of the Population Research Institute points out that the world is not over-populated and that world population will peak at eight billion in 2040. He writes: "[I]t is the height of hypocrisy for the [UN population fund] to talk of empowering women, when its population control programs around the world invariably target and abuse young, vulnerable women." [Catholic Online, 11 July]
The British Medical Association has narrowly turned down a motion to require pro-life doctors to declare their views. Dr Evan Harris MP wanted physicians to have to use leaflets and posters state their preparedness (or otherwise) to co-operate with abortion and/or IVF. The association's annual conference voted by 50.6% to reject the proposal. [Scotsman, 11 July]