The referendum on Italy's fertility laws looks set for defeat because of a low turnout, RTE reports.

The Catholic bishops urged a boycott of the referendum, which was called to decide whether to lift restrictions on IVF and embryo research.

For the vote to be valid there has to be a turnout of 50% but just 19% cast their vote on the first day of voting.

[RTE News, 13 June ] The Queen's birthday honours list for this year includes prominent advocates of abortion and embryo research.

Dr Audrey Simpson, director of the Family Planning Association in Northern Ireland received the OBE for services to healthcare.

Professor Richard Gardner, Royal Society Professor of Zoology at the University of Oxford and a leading proponent of destructive embryo research, was knighted.

[BBC, 11 June ] The mother of a 13-year-old girl who died during an abortion has been granted permission to sue the Illinois facility where the botched abortion was performed.

Deanna Bell died at the Albany Medical Surgical Centre during a D&E abortion under general anaesthetic.

Only one non-medically trained member of staff was available when Deanna suffered serious breathing problems and the emergency services were not called when she went into cardiac arrest. [Lifenews.com, 10 June ]