News, 14 March 2000
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, 3 March 2000]
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]
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