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NRL News
Pro-Life
News in Brief Embryonic Stem Cell Research Moving Forward in California The first publicly funded human embryo cloning project is among 72 research grants totaling $45 million awarded by California’s embryonic stem cell research agency February 16, the Sacramento Bee reported. The cloning project will take place at Stanford University, which received a total of $8 million for 12 grants. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, created after voters approved Proposition 71 in 2004 pledging $3 billion for embryo-destructive research over the next 10 years, also gave grants to colleges in the University of California system and institutes in San Diego and San Francisco, according to the Bee. Despite questionable claims by state officials—“Stem cell research holds our best promise to find a cure for debilitating illnesses, like Parkinson’s disease and diabetes,” said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger—many Californians object to the embryonic stem cell research program on moral and financial grounds. Pro-life and taxpayer groups have challenged the program in court, objecting to the process used to get the proposition on the ballot and the fact that an independent agency has oversight of billions of state dollars, the Associated Press (AP) reported. However, the 1st District Court of Appeal ruled February 26 that the program is constitutional, upholding a lower court decision. “Proposition 71 suffers from no constitutional or other legal infirmity,” according to the court’s 3–0 decision. Opponents of the embryonic stem cell research program said they are considering an appeal to the state Supreme Court. “It’s so obvious that there are conflicts of interest between those who are responsible for distributing funding and those who receive the funds,” attorney Robert Tyler told the AP. While the court case is ongoing, the state took a $150 million loan to make the grants. If the appeals court decision stands, the institute will be able to use taxpayer-funded bonds for the grants, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Euthanasia Activist’s Nursing License Revoked A New Zealand judge revoked the nursing license of euthanasia supporter Lesley Martin, found guilty in 2004 of attempted murder for trying to euthanize her mother. Cancer patient Joy Martin, 69, died May 28, 1999. Lesley Martin later wrote in a pro-euthanasia book that she gave her mother the morphine and also covered her face with a pillow as she died, the Sunday Star Times reported. Prosecutors charged Martin with two counts of attempted murder for the morphine injection and apparent suffocation. However, evidence from an autopsy showed that Joy Martin died of respiratory arrest from morphine poisoning and not suffocation. The jury returned a guilty verdict March 31, 2004, on one count of attempted murder. Although Lesley Martin had not practiced as a nurse for several years, she continued to retain her license. After her conviction, the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal decided not to strip her of her license, but instead imposed several conditions she would have to meet in order to practice nursing again, according to the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA). The conditions included undergoing assessments by the Nursing Council of New Zealand and a psychiatrist and working under strict supervision for three years, NZPA reported. The Nursing Council’s Professional Conduct Committee appealed this decision to the High Court, arguing that instead of imposing conditions, the tribunal should have revoked Martin’s license. Justice Warwick Gendall ruled February 27 that Martin should lose her license. “The issue was not whether Ms Martin was a competent nurse, so it was inappropriate to impose a competency test, the judge said,” according to NZPA. “The issue was that she had made a premeditated decision to euthanase her mother, and had said afterwards she would do the same thing again.” Nursing authorities said they were happy with the verdict. “Obviously we were concerned at the decision that Ms Martin could continue to practice,” Nursing Council CEO Marion Clark told NZPA. “We think most of the nursing profession will be very pleased with the decision.” Martin served only half of her 15-month jail sentence, according to Dominion Post. She is currently attending college, studying psychology, and would be required to reapply for a nursing license should she ever choose to enter that field again, NZPA reported. Quebec to Reimburse Women for Abortions The government of Quebec will pay $13 million to reimburse 45,000 women for abortions they received in private clinics and health centers between 1999 and 2006, CanWest News Service reported. The Quebec Health Insurance Act covers the full cost of abortions under its medicare program. However, since 1999, if women had abortions outside of hospitals or state-run health clinics, medicare covered only a portion of the fee. The women paid between $200 and $300 for their abortions, according to CanWest News Service. A pro-abortion group, the Association for Access to Abortion, filed a class-action lawsuit against the government. Quebec Superior Court Justice Nicole Benard ruled August 18 that the Quebec government misinterpreted its own law and would have to reimburse the women, the Montreal Gazette reported. Deciding not to appeal the ruling, the government began running newspaper advertisements in February telling women how to obtain the money, according to CanWest News Service. Swedish Government Proposes Allowing Abortions for Foreign Women Despite condemnation from religious leaders, the Swedish parliament is expected to vote this fall on a proposal that would allow foreign women to travel to the country for abortions. Swedish Health and Social Affairs Minister Göran Hägglund contended that the proposal is based on the “principle of equality of health care for all citizens of the European Union (EU),” Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. While many EU countries have permissive abortion laws, several countries—Ireland, Malta, Poland, and Portugal—legally protect human life. Officials have not determined whether the proposal will apply to all foreign women or only those in the EU, according to AFP. Catholic bishop Anders Arborelius and Sten-Gunnar Hedin of the evangelical Philadelphia Church in Stockholm denounced the proposal in the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. “We are sad that this proposal is backed by a Christian Democrat social affairs minister, Göran Hägglund,” Arborelius and Hedin wrote. “It is incomprehensible that he is supporting this proposal while claiming that it was required by the EU, something that this country’s leading EU law expert, Professor Ulf Bernitz, insists is not the case.” Hägglund is the leader of the Christian Democrat party, normally supported by religious people in Sweden, The Local reported. The pair wrote that they and other religious leaders in Sweden “could be forced to work actively to reduce the chances of the Alliance being re-elected” during the next general election in 2010. “We appeal to the government not to force us to do this.” Florida Abortion Clinic Owner Arrested Police in Miramar, Florida, arrested the co-owner of the A GYN abortion clinic February 2 on charges of using unlicensed employees to perform abortions, the Miami Herald reported. Belkis Gonzalez has been considered a fugitive since August, when a warrant was issued for her arrest. The A GYN abortion clinic in Miramar had been closed in 2005 after “patients interviewed admitted they had abortions performed by two clinic employees who were not licensed healthcare professionals,” according to the Herald. Gonzalez posted a $1,000 bond after the Broward County fugitive squad arrested her, the Herald reported. Gonzalez has a history of running shoddy abortion clinics. Her A Gyn Diagnostic Center in Hialeah made news in August when police discovered the body of two- to three-pound baby in a biohazard container. The baby’s 18-year-old mother went to the clinic on July 20 to abort her 23-week-old baby. Returning the next day complaining of severe pain, clinic staff told her the doctor was not available and took her to a recovery room to wait, CBS4 News reported. She gave birth to the baby there. “Employees cut the umbilical cord, put the baby in a bag and walked away with it,” Hialeah Lt. Ralph Garcia told CBS4 News. Officials continue to investigate the Hialeah case. “My goal is to see that charges are filed,” Hialeah Deputy Chief Mark Overton told WorldNetDaily. “The evidence reflects that this was a homicide. We’re moving forward with that mindset. I believe our evidence has indicated [and] I think we have probable cause to bring charges.” Italian Girl Breaks Down after Forced Abortion A 13-year-old Italian girl whose parents forced her to have an abortion threatened suicide and has been placed in a hospital psychiatric unit, according to La Stampa. The newspaper reported that after “Valentina” and her 15-year-old boyfriend conceived a child, her parents insisted she have an abortion. Valentina refused, and the case was taken to a juvenile court. Judge Giuseppe Cocilovo of the Court of Minors in Turin ruled that Valentina “must choose whether she wanted to terminate—but because she was a minor the decision was passed on to her mother,” the London Evening Standard reported. Her parents decided she should have the abortion despite her objections. After Valentina’s child was killed, she threatened to commit suicide. “You have made me kill, and now I kill myself,” Valentina cried, according to La Stampa. “I am not crazy; I am only evil like a dog.” She remains in Regina Margherita Children’s Hospital in Turin. The child psychiatrist in charge of the unit said the abortion should not have happened. “Her desire to keep the baby should not have been gone against as it was,” said Roberto Rigardetto, according to the Standard. Donate Umbilical Cord Blood to Public Banks, Doctors Advise New parents should donate their babies’ umbilical cord blood to public banks rather than pay thousands of dollars to store it for their own private use, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advised January 2. “We want to encourage parents to donate to public cord blood banks because this cord blood contains stem cells that can be used to treat a variety of serious conditions,” Dr. Mitchell Cairo, a member of the first AAP Work Group on Cord Blood Banking, told United Press International. The federal government has begun a grant program to fund public cord blood banks. In private banks, parents pay about $1,500 to $1,900 to store the cord blood, and then pay an additional $125 each year, according to the Newark Star-Ledger. The chances that a child will need to use his or her own cord blood may be only 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 200,000, the AAP said. However, there is a far greater chance the cord blood can be matched with another patient who needs it. “Cord blood stem cell banks can provide an invaluable service to those afflicted with leukemia and immune disorders,” the AAP said in a press release. Families should “donate their newborn’s cord blood, which is normally discarded at birth, to cord blood banks (if accessible in their area) for use by other individuals in need.” “The overall survival rate for patients treated with bone marrow transplants is about 35 percent. With cord blood stem cell transplantation, that survival rate jumps to 55 percent,” Donna Regan, manager of the public St. Louis Cord Blood Bank, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We’re proud to know that cord blood has played a role in saving 550 lives.” Baby Girls May Be Source of Bones in Indian Mass Grave Police in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India, discovered a mass grave February 17 with more than 430 infant body parts behind the Ratlam Christian Mission Hospital at Ujjain. They arrested hospital superintendent Patience Williams and staff members “for allegedly concealing births through secret disposal of bodies,” according to The Australian. Authorities believe the babies may have been killed because they were girls. “The question of female foeticide and infanticide is part of our investigation, as is illegal abortions,” said superintendent of police Satish Saxena, The Australian reported. The discovery has called attention to the growing gender imbalance in India. “Many couples believe their family needs a son to carry on the family name and earn enough to look after them in old age,” according to The Guardian. “The dowry system, under which the bride’s family pay cash to the groom, despite such payments being deemed illegal, also favours male children.” Because of this cultural bias toward boys, India has 927 girls for every 1,000 boys under the age of six. The worldwide average is 1,050 girls to 1,000 boys, Agence France Presse reported. Despite the fact that using ultrasound during pregnancy is illegal except for medical reasons, clinics and doctors across the country are running a multi-million-dollar business to use the technology to identify girls, who are then aborted, according to Agence France Presse. The Indian government announced February 18 that it will establish centers to house unwanted female children. “What we are saying to the people is have your children, don’t kill them. And if you don’t want a girl child, leave her to us,” Renuka Chowdhury, minister of state for women and child development, told Press Trust of India. “We will bring up the children. But don’t kill them because there really is a crisis situation.” But many in India believe that a much stronger response is needed by the government, police, and the people of India to respect the law and to change the mindset that devalues girls. “While the [orphanages] are a good short-term measure, the longer-term, bigger problem is lack of law enforcement,” Swami Agnivesh, head priest of the religious body Arya Samaj, told The Guardian. “The doctors and hospitals that kill girls have to be prosecuted and closed down.” Portuguese Law May Allow Abortion on Demand up to 10 Weeks Portuguese legislators expect to pass a new law by the end of March allowing abortion on demand for the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, after a February 11 voter referendum was invalidated because of low voter turnout. The referendum supporting abortion on demand through the first ten weeks was approved by 59% of the voters. However only 44% of eligible voters turned out to vote, and Portuguese law requires half to participate for a referendum to be adopted, Agence France-Presse reported. Current law allows abortion up to 12 weeks for “mental and physical risk” to the mother, to 16 weeks for rape, to 24 weeks for a “malformed fetus,” and at any time if the mother’s life is in danger, according to the New York Times. Prime Minister Jose Socrates, whose Socialist Party supports abortion on demand and holds a majority in parliament, has championed the legislative change. “The choice placed before Portugal is whether it resigns itself to staying in the group of the most conservative countries or if it embraces modernity,” said Socrates, the Times reported. However, many in the overwhelmingly Catholic country have condemned the move to change the law. “Whatever the motives that justify this dramatic act in the eyes of a woman, it is always the denial of a place in the world for a human life that was conceived,” said Cardinal Jose da Cruz Policarpo of Lisbon, according to Agence France Presse. British Woman Asks Court for Death A British woman suffering from heart and spinal disorders has asked the High Court to order her doctors to give her enough morphine to put her into a coma and then stop feeding her intravenously, according to The Mirror. Kelly Taylor, 30, said that doctors have said she has less than a year to live. “I’m not depressed—I’ve never been depressed,” Taylor told reporters, The Mirror reported. “I am a happy person. But my illness is now at the point where I don’t want to deal with it any more. Despite attempts by euthanasia supporters to change the law, it is still illegal in Britain for doctors to help patients kill themselves or to give them a deliberate overdose of drugs that leads to their death, according to the London Daily Telegraph. “While we sympathise with Mrs. Taylor’s situation, we cannot support her request for doctors to sedate her, to a state of unconsciousness, with the specific intention of ending her life,” a British Medical Association spokesperson told the Telegraph. “In our view, this would involve the doctors in assisting her suicide, which is both unlawful and unethical.” The case began with a preliminary hearing February 12. Taylor contends that her doctors’ refusal to give her the morphine overdose violates the European Convention on Human Rights’ ban on “inhuman or degrading treatment,” The Guardian reported. Taylor suffers from Eisenmenger’s syndrome, a heart disorder leading to “shortness of breath, coughing up blood, reduced ability to exercise, fainting and palpitations,” and Klippel-Feil syndrome, “typified by a short, often invisible neck, greatly restricted mobility of the upper spine and a low hairline,” according to the Telegraph. Pro-life groups insist that patients do not need death, but rather should receive all possible care to help them manage their pain. “This is a very sad case but what is needed is not a change in the law to allow lethal injections but access to the highest quality of palliative care to those who need it,” Dr Peter Saunders of the Care Not Killing Alliance told the Telegraph. A full hearing on the case is expected in March, according to The Guardian. |