News,

A woman from Utah who refused a caesarean section that could have saved her baby's life has been charged with murder. Melissa Ann Rowland was warned repeatedly that the lives of her twins were in danger if she did not have a caesarean section but she allegedly said that she would rather lose one of the babies than be cut open. One of the twins subsequently died. Court documents described Mrs Rowland as showing 'depraved indifference to human life.' [The Guardian, 12 March ] A 15-year-old girl from Detroit died as a result of a second-trimester abortion, LifeSiteNews.com reports. Tamia Russell had the abortion on 9 January without the knowledge of her parents, which is a state requirement for minors. The doctor who performed the post mortem described the death as 'normal' because 'these complications are expected with this type of abortion.' Tamia Russell's boyfriend was 24, laying him open to the charge of statutory rape. [LifeSiteNews.com, 11 March ] Experts due to speak at a conference in London this weekend have attacked the 'current cultural obsession' with post-natal depression, claiming that modern mothers are no less able to cope than previous generations. Dr Ellie Lee, a prominent abortion advocate, said: "This new trend to label parenting a threat to mental health risks branding an essential part of life a hazard... This is not about the recognition of an existing problem but the construction of a new one. Parents are being encouraged not to cope." [BBC, 12 March ] A South African baby aged just 28 days has defied medical expectation by surviving two brushes with death. The baby was born two months premature after an unsuccessful abortion attempt then survived poisoning after she was accidentally given contaminated intravenous nutrients. Her student mother said: "It was a mistake. My parents did not know I was pregnant until I went into labour. But now that she is here, I love her and have accepted her as part of my life. I do not want anything bad to happen to her." [IOL, 11 March ] The abortion provider Planned Parenthood Federation of America has appointed a Methodist minister to communicate 'the theological justification for choice, sexuality and contraception.' Ignacio Castuera has worked with California Abortion Rights Action League and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and believes that Jesus 'would indeed support a woman's right to choose.' Mark Tooley, director of the Institute of Religion and Democracy's United Methodist Action steering committee stated: "Planned Parenthood is trying to show that Christianity is divided over the issue of abortion. But in fact, for 2000 years Christianity has been almost entirely uniformly on the side of defending the sanctity of all human life, including unborn life." [Agape Press, 11 March ] Researchers at Duke University have demonstrated that human fat cells are adult stem cells rather than a combination of different cell types. Reporting the findings at the 50th annual scientific meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, Kristen Lott said: "Our findings indicate that 62% of the human fat cells could be reprogrammed into turning into at least two other different cell types. This percentage of cells is quite high, meaning that they have a great deal of flexibility and that their ultimate destiny may not be so predetermined." [Science Daily, 10 March ]