News, 26 November 2004

A study in the British Medical Journal has warned that women are being offered unproven and possibly hazardous fertility treatment by IVF clinics. Dr Ashley Moffett of Cambridge University stated that women who are desperate for children are 'particularly vulnerable to financial exploitation' and that 'great care has to be taken not to take advantage of couples merely because they are desperate.' [BBC, 26 November]
The creation of 'designer babies' through IVF is being funded by the National Health Service, the Telegraph reports. Three local health authorities have agreed to fund the procedure whilst eight or nine others are 'seriously considering' funding. [The Telegraph, 25 November]
The Portuguese Prime Minister has ruled out suspending prosecutions relating to breaches of the country's abortion laws, stating that it 'would amount to changing the law'. Abortion is permitted on grounds of rape or a perceived serious threat to the life of the mother but a referendum in 1998 rejected moves to legalise abortion on demand up to 10 weeks. [Yahoo News, 24 November]
A study published in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders has found that women who have an abortion are 30% more likely to suffer from anxiety compared with those who carry an unintended pregnancy to term. 11,000 women aged between 15 and 34 with no previous history of anxiety contributed to the study. [Family News in Focus, 24 November]
The Peruvian Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has drafted a protocol 'amidst a lack of guidance regarding legalised abortion at the country's hospitals' which would allow doctors to perform abortions on babies with Anencephaly. Valentin Jaimes, the PSOG president said that the protocol would be sent to all members and to the Ministry of Health. [CWNews, 24 November]
A Chinese woman serving an 18-month labour camp sentence for campaigning against her country's one-child policy has been tortured and severely beaten, Human Rights in China have reported. Mao Hengfeng lost her job after giving birth to a second child and later aborted her third child under duress, an experience that led her to begin a campaign in defence of her human rights. [Asia News, 24 November]
A man has been charged under the Unborn Victims of Violence Act after he beat his pregnant wife and caused her to miscarry. Eric Adam Trask from Kentucky is the first man in his area to be charged under the new law, which makes it a crime to kill or injure an unborn child in an attack on a pregnant woman. [Lifenews.com, 24 November]
A Columbian woman has been described as lucky to be alive after her unborn child was abducted, Lifenews.com reports. Sol Angela Cartagena was eight-months pregnant when she was drugged and subjected to a caesarean section. Police are believed to have found the baby, who is said to have been dehydrated but in good health. [Lifenews.com, 24 November]

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