News,

A high court judge has approved the withdrawal of life-support from a married father of three who has been in a persistent vegetative state for nearly four years. Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss noted that the man (who cannot be named) had previously expressed the wish that he should not be a burden on his family. [Metro, 14 March, 2000] Some types of Chinese couple will be allowed to have more than one child. Second children can presently be deprived of education and their mothers can be fined and sterilised. There is illegal selective abortion of female children. Officials in rural areas already allow some couples to have a second child if they already have a daughter. [Daily Telegraph, 14 March, 2000] A disabled pro-life campaigner has criticised a new type of screening for Down's syndrome. Alison Davis, coordinator of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children's handicap division, said: "The real aim [of the tests] is to detect as many babies as possible who have Down's syndrome, so that they can be aborted. This is a form of fatal discrimination against people with disabilities." [Pro-Life E-News, 13 March, 2000] Oral contraceptives reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by one seventh, according to Dr Sheldon Segal. [The Lancet quoted in The Guardian, 14 March, 2000] A British pro-life investment fund has yielded more than 67% since its launch in September 1998. The Banner Real Life Unit Trust has grown in size to over three million pounds. It holds securities in companies which profess their commitment to pro-life values and which avoid significant involvement in armaments, alcohol or gambling. [Church of England Newspaper, ] The Scottish couple who want to choose the sex of their child through in vitro fertilisation [cf. yesterday's news-digest] have four sons aged nine to 15. Mr and Mrs Alan Masterton's only daughter died in an accident nine months ago when aged three. Mrs Masterton was sterilised shortly after the girl's birth. [The Herald, 14 March, 2000] The number of women seeking an abortion in Quebec has doubled over the past 20 years. [Pro-Life E-News, 13 March, 2000] [This bulletin is privately circulated by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, www.spuc.org.uk, 5/6 St Matthew Street, London, United Kingdom, SW1P 2JT, +44 20 7222 3763. The reliability of the news herein is dependent on that of the cited sources. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the society. Please forward this bulletin to other interested parties. To unsubscribe, send an appropriate email to information@spuc.freeserve.co.uk]