Baby's Sex Drives Stress Response In Pregnancy
University of Adelaide research is showing that the sex of the baby determines the way it responds to stressors during pregnancy and its ability to survive pregnancy complications. Male and female babies during pregnancy show different growth and development patterns following stressors during pregnancy such as disease, cigarette use or psychological stress. The research is being carried out by the Robinson Institute's Pregnancy and Development Group, based at the Lyell McEwin Hospital and led by Associate Professor Vicki Clifton.
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Canadian Bishops': Abortion Threatens Civilization
Euthanasia and assisted suicide called "inhuman practices"
In an advance copy of the message for the May 13 National March for Life, the pro-life arm of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops quotes Pope John Paul II saying that abortion poses "an immense threat to life: not only to the life of individuals but also to that of civilization itself." The message of the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF) is titled "Threats to Civilization" and notes that the former pope's "strong warning rings true today."
The message speaks of the "devastating aftermath of abortion" and notes that "millions of unborn babies have been eliminated by abortion since 1969." Abortion has "destroyed countless innocent lives and deeply scarred women, men, and children from all walks of life, leaving our society deeply wounded," says COLF.
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New Center for Fetal Health Opens at Packard Children's Hospital
Complex fetal diagnoses bring extraordinary strain to pregnant women and their families. Learning an eagerly-awaited child will be born with a medical problem is often the worst crisis an expectant parents can face. To support families through complicated fetal diagnoses, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford recently announced the opening of a new Center for Comprehensive Fetal Health & Maternal and Family Care. Its goal is to provide comprehensive, coordinated, family-centered care for mothers and infants with difficult diagnoses, before and after birth.
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Neb., Okla., Antiabortion Laws Represent Shift In State Restrictions, Some Advocates Say
New laws in Oklahoma and Nebraska represent some of the most aggressive antiabortion-rights legislation passed in recent years, leading some advocates to contemplate whether the measures are "isolated incidents or signs of a large shift," Politico reports. Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said that the new laws are "part of an onslaught of restrictions that we see constantly." She added, "But, that being said, these are both going farther [than] what we've seen before."
The Oklahoma law (HB 2780) requires a woman seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound at least one hour before the procedure. The person performing the ultrasound must position the screen to face the woman and provide a detailed description of the fetus, including information on any visible limbs or organs. According to Politico, the woman would be allowed to avert her eyes from the image. The bill became law on Tuesday after the state Legislature overrode a veto by Gov. Brad Henry (D). Although 14 other states require ultrasounds prior to abortions, the Oklahoma law "goes further" by requiring visibility of the monitor and a description of the fetus, Politico reports.
The Nebraska law (LB 1103) bans abortions after 20 weeks' gestation based on supporters' claims that a fetus can feel pain at that point. The first-of-its-kind measure, which is scheduled to take effect in October, likely will be challenged as unconstitutional because it bans pre-viability abortions. Multiple Supreme Court cases -- including Roe v. Wade -- identify viability as the point at which states can prohibit abortion, with exceptions for the health and life of the woman. States can regulate, but not ban, abortion prior to viability, Politico reports.
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