May 24, 2013

Abortion law in Ireland under serious threat from new legislation

savita2

Ireland is one of the few developed countries in the world where abortion remains illegal under sections 58 and 59 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861.   However this could change if proposed new legislation is passed through the Irish … [Read more...]

Time lapse imaging of embryos – exciting breakthrough or just eugenics by another name?

embryo

Various media outlets (including The Times (£), The Telegraph, BBC, The Independent and The Guardian) have published articles reporting on how fertility specialists from Nottingham have developed a radical technique that will ‘dramatically … [Read more...]

Embryonic stem cells from cloned human embryos – six reasons for caution

stemcells

The newspapers are full today of the news that scientists in the US state of Oregon have produced embryonic stem cells (ESCs) using the same cloning technology (somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)) that created Dolly the sheep. The original paper … [Read more...]

Doctors should not be forced to provide emergency contraception if they have an ethical objection to it

levonelle

The Independent has run the story of a ‘Christian-run NHS GP surgery’ which has apparently ‘attracted criticism for posting a notice warning that some of its doctors refuse to prescribe the morning-after pill to patients on grounds of … [Read more...]

GMC and RCM must now move urgently to review their abortion guidance in light of Glasgow midwives court ruling

midwives

Two Roman Catholic midwives have today won a landmark legal battle to avoid taking any part in abortion procedures. Mary Doogan, 58, and Concepta Wood, 52, (pictured) lost a previous case against NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) when the court … [Read more...]