Pro-Life News in Brief
By Liz Townsend

Britain's Baby Charlotte Can Receive Treatment

A British judge who ruled last year that disabled baby Charlotte Wyatt may be denied medical treatment in an emergency reversed his decision October 21. Doctors will now have to follow her parents' request and resuscitate her if she loses consciousness, according to The Guardian, although the judge also ruled that the doctors can stop treatment if they decide it is against Charlotte's "best interests."

"This is the best birthday present she could ever want, because now Charlotte can get on with her life," said Charlotte's father Darren Wyatt, according to the Daily Post. "We haven't got this huge black cloud hanging over us now.'

The new order from High Court Justice Hedley came on Charlotte's second birthday. Charlotte was born three months premature, according to the Birmingham Post, and has brain, lung, and kidney damage. She continues to live in St. Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth.

Before Justice Hedley's October 2004 decision, the hospital asked for a do not resuscitate order, contending that Charlotte had "no feeling other than continuing pain," the Liverpool Daily Post reported. The Wyatts appealed, but Justice Hedley upheld his decision in April 2005. In August 2005, the Court of Appeals also upheld the ruling, but ordered an urgent medical review of her case.

Following the appeals court's order, an independent group of experts examined Charlotte and reported to Justice Hedley that she has made remarkable progress. "Charlotte undoubtedly has awareness of others around her and now takes pleasure in the environment around her," the group's report read, according to the Daily Mail. "She is painfree, comfortable and has emerging social attachments to her parents and key staff members.

"She is clearly more robust and no longer the 'very sick baby' who was previously described, although she remains dependent on oxygen and vulnerable to respiratory infections. We believe she is now stable enough to begin to spend periods of time in the care of her parents, within hospital grounds and at home."

The family said they hope Charlotte will be able to leave the hospital and live with them at home by next March, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Study Finds Link between Abuse and Abortion

A study published in the August issue of the Australian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology found that 50.8% of women at a New Zealand abortion clinic had been physically abused.

Study authors Dr Anna Whitehead of the Waikato District Health Board and Dr Janet Fanslow of Auckland University interviewed 62 women at a Health Waikato abortion clinic. The women were asked, "Have you been hit, slapped, or otherwise physically hurt by someone?" and "Have you been pressured or forced to have sex?"

Over 43% of the women reported physical abuse sometime during their lifetime, while 32.2% said they had a previous history of sexual abuse. Women also reported abuse within 12 months before their abortions, with 13% saying they had been physically abused recently and 8.5% reporting recent sexual abuse, according to the New Zealand Herald. One woman told researchers that her aborted pregnancy was the result of sexual abuse.

To compare to the wider population, the Herald reported that a larger study found rates of between 33-39% of abuse in women's lifetimes, with 5% reporting abuse within the last year.

"The study demonstrated a high prevalence of family violence amongst women attending an abortion clinic," Whitehead and Fanslow wrote in their conclusion. "Consideration should be given to screening for family violence in abortion clinics in New Zealand. Screening should be accompanied by the provision of appropriate information and support for women with family violence issues."

Interstate Batteries and Care Net Raise Funds for Pregnancy Centers

Care Net, a pregnancy support network, and Interstate Batteries are working together on a fundraising campaign to support pregnancy help centers in North America.

The campaign began at the October 23 NASCAR race in Martinsville, Virginia, where the Interstate Batteries car prominently featured the Care Net logo. More than 50% of Interstate Batteries sales during the campaign will be donated to Care Net centers.

"Interstate Batteries is a great role model for companies seeking to make a difference in local communities," Care Net President Kurt Entsminger said in a press release. "Thousands of women will be helped as a result of the 'Charged for Life' campaign. At Care Net pregnancy centers, we believe that people make positive life decisions when they are empowered with information and know that they are not alone. We thank Interstate Batteries for its generous partnership in helping to support our mission."

Care Net is made up of more than 900 pregnancy centers in the United States and Canada. "These centers offer such services as free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, peer counseling services, post-abortion support, and other practical, emotional, and spiritual help to empower women and men facing pregnancy related concerns," according to the Care Net web site.

Along with Heartbeat International, Care Net also operates the national 24-hour Option Line (800-395-HELP), which connects women seeking pregnancy help to resources in their local areas.

For more information, visit www.care-net.org or order batteries at interstatebatteries.com and enter "Carenet" in the coupon code.