News, The British prime minister has re-stated his opposition to changing the law on assisted suicide. Mr Gordon Brown MP said: "[W]e have got to make it absolutely clear that the importance of human life is recognised." He was being interviewed on radio by Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, Archbis...

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News, An Anglican bishop has said that society should care for unborn children as well as for those who have been born. Rt Rev Anthony Priddis, Bishop of Hereford, was preaching to the Christmas day congregation in his cathedral. [Christian Today, 27 December] An open-air Mass in Madrid, Spain, at...

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A British government survey has found that teenagers are under pressure to have sex at Christmas and New Year. Teenage conception rates peak at this time of year and teenage pregnancies rose by 2.7 per cent in the past year. The government's Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group urged parents...

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The European Court of Human Rights has refused to hear an appeal concerning the semi-conscious woman in Italy whose father wants her to die from dehydration. Judges said they would not hear the matter because the Italian pro-life organisations bringing the case were not linked to Ms Eluana Englaro. ...

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News, The European Court of Human Rights has refused to hear an appeal concerning the semi-conscious woman in Italy whose father wants her to die from dehydration. Judges said they would not hear the matter because the Italian pro-life organisations bringing the case were not linked to Ms Eluana E...

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News, Birth control and pregnancy tests are being offered to 11-year-olds in schools in England without parental knowledge. Morning-after pills are being given to children in Wiltshire, which has a high rate of sexually transmitted infection. The Life organisation said it was irresponsible. Eviden...

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Birth control and pregnancy tests are being offered to 11-year-olds in schools in England without parental knowledge. Morning-after pills are being given to children in Wiltshire, which has a high rate of sexually transmitted infection. The Life organisation said it was irresponsible. Evidence sugge...

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There will reportedly be no prosecution of a doctor who admitted going with a woman from Scotland to Switzerland where she killed herself with barbiturates. Dr Michael Irwin, 77, was investigated by police for two years after he went to Dignitas, Zurich, with Ms May Murphy, 75, who had multiple syst...

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News, There will reportedly be no prosecution of a doctor who admitted going with a woman from Scotland to Switzerland where she killed herself with barbiturates. Dr Michael Irwin, 77, was investigated by police for two years after he went to Dignitas, Zurich, with Ms May Murphy, 75, who had multi...

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News, The Bush administration has introduced rules which will allow health workers to refuse to perform unethical procedures. The regulations will take effect two days before Senator Barack Obama takes over next month. The government says they reflect current law. Ms Nita Lowey, a Democrat congres...

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The Bush administration has introduced rules which will allow health workers to refuse to perform unethical procedures. The regulations will take effect two days before Senator Barack Obama takes over next month. The government says they reflect current law. Ms Nita Lowey, a Democrat congresswoman, ...

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A British opinion poll suggests significant support for assisted suicide. More than three fifths of respondents to a YouGov survey said they would consider suicide if terminally ill. YouGov asked a sample of over 2,000 people about a range of political issues. Three fifths also supported the recent ...

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News, A British opinion poll suggests significant support for assisted suicide. More than three fifths of respondents to a YouGov survey said they would consider suicide if terminally ill. YouGov asked a sample of over 2,000 people about a range of political issues. Three fifths also supported the...

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News, RU486 abortion drugs are likely to be supplied in Italy from next month. The previous centre-left government approved the move in February but the ruling centre-right party reportedly cannot revoke the decision. Ms Giorgia Meloni, the current youth minister, said the drug had serious risks a...

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RU486 abortion drugs are likely to be supplied in Italy from next month. The previous centre-left government approved the move in February but the ruling centre-right party reportedly cannot revoke the decision. Ms Giorgia Meloni, the current youth minister, said the drug had serious risks and the m...

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The pregnancy-rate among under-18s in England and Wales rose by at least 2.7% between 2006 and last year. Government figures suggest that, while 40.9 girls in every 1,000 got pregnant in 2006, 42 did so last year. Some 1,200 more girls became pregnant last year than the year before and Britain has t...

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News, The pregnancy-rate among under-18s in England and Wales rose by at least 2.7% between 2006 and last year. Government figures suggest that, while 40.9 girls in every 1,000 got pregnant in 2006, 42 did so last year. Some 1,200 more girls became pregnant last year than the year before and Brita...

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News, The Catholic church has repeated its disapproval of human embryo research, cloning, embryo selection and artificial reproduction. Dignitas Personae also opposes the freezing of embryos. [Washington Post, 12 December] The text includes: "In virtue of the Church's doctrinal and pastoral missio...

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The Catholic Church has repeated its disapproval of human embryo research, cloning, embryo selection and artificial reproduction. Dignitas Personae also opposes the freezing of embryos. [Washington Post, 12 December] The text includes: "In virtue of the Church's doctrinal and pastoral mission, the C...

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The British prime minister has said that people should never feel pressure to seek death. Mr Gordon Brown MP yesterday said to the House of Commons: "It is necessary to ensure that there is never a case in which a sick or elderly person feels under pressure to agree to an assisted death or that it i...

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