News, 2 June 2004
A San Francisco judge has declared the ban on partial birth abortion to
be unconstitutional. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton sided with
Planned Parenthood, stating that the law was vague, should have had a
health exception and placed 'an undue burden on a woman's ability to
choose a second trimester abortion.' The law is also being challenged
in New York and Nebraska. [
BBC and
RTE News, 1 June]
The number of UK teenagers contracting sexually transmitted infections
continues to escalate, according to statistics given as part of a
parliamentary answer by the Public Health Minister. The Department of
Health insists that the current approach to sex education is working in
spite of evidence to the contrary. [
The Times of London, 2 June]
The use of umbilical cord blood in the treatment of cancers such as
leukaemia at Loyola University, US, is proving successful in curing or
slowing the progression of the disease. Cord blood transplantation may
be used as an alternative to bone marrow transplants when patients are
unable to find a donor of the same tissue type. Loyola University's
method of preparing cord blood allows more stem cells to survive and it
is now focusing on cord blood transplantation in adults. [
Medical News Today, 2 June]
A Florida Appeals Court has ruled that Terri Schiavo's fate should be
determined by the Florida Supreme Court, The Guardian reports. Mrs
Schiavo's husband Michael has been attempting to have her feeding tube
removed, claiming that she would not want to live in such a condition.
Her family contests this and has been battling to save her life since
her mysterious collapse in 1990. [
The Guardian, 2 June]
Research published in the journal Experimental Neurology has indicated
that fat cells could be changed into nerve cells, which could provide a
limitless supply of cells to treat central and peripheral nervous
system conditions. As part of the study, researchers turned cells from
mouse fat into neurons and glial cells and were able to demonstrate
that the function of the cells was similar to that of ordinary nerve
cells. [
WebIndia.com, 1 June]
A draft bill on women's rights introduced by the Sri Lankan National
Committee on Women contains language that could be used to promote
abortion, LifeSiteNews.com reports. Sri Lanka's Family Planning
Association has called for abortion to be legalised and works closely
with the Sri Lankan government on population control and sex education
matters. [
LifeSiteNews.com, 1 June]
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