Nora Sullivan, M.P.A

Last week the news broke of yet another forced abortion in China.  In an interview with the UK’s Sky News, Liu Xinwen and her husband Zhou Guoquing revealed that their home was invaded by officials from the Shandong Family Planning who held down Mr. Zhou while his wife was pulled from her bed and forcibly taken to a hospital where she was forcibly aborted at six month of pregnancy.

The news came of the United Kingdom this past week that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) rules that it would not be in the “public interest” to prosecute two doctors who agreed to arrange illegal sex-selective abortions.  This ruling was made despite the fact that prosecutors admit that there is more than enough evidence to take these doctors to court for violating the law.

A study published last week has shown that ethical adult stem cells can be used to create three-dimensional living tissues that imitate the developing human brain.  In their findings, published in the science journal Nature, researchers asserted that, by using human stem cells derived from skin cells, they were able to assemble brain-like pieces of living tissue.  These stem cells could prove to be an invaluable resource for the treatment and study of various neuro-developmental disorders.

A European grassroots initiative with the bold objective of protecting human life even in its most vulnerable embryonic state has gained considerable support across the continent- collecting over 850,000 signatures from a wide array of nations. The “One of Us” initiative is a valiant effort that has been taken up by groups and individuals across the Europe with the aim of advancing the protection of the human embryo.

Despite signals earlier this year that the State of North Carolina would once again not include plans compensation for the victims of the state’s infamous eugenics programs in the state’s budget, it seems that those who suffered forcible or coerced sterilization at the hands of the state will see some restitution after all as North Carolina is set to become the first state to provide compensation to victims of a state eugenics program.

Information released this week by the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) has revealed that doctors under contract with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation used state funds to sterilize at least 148 female inmates from 2006 to 2010 without required state approval.

This week in Ireland, the final vote on proposed abortion legislation is expected to take place.  The Dáil is expected to hear and discuss proposed amendments to the divisive bill, though Taoiseach Enda Kenny has made it clear that one of the most contentious portions of the bill -- legalized abortion on the grounds of suicidality -- will not be removed from the proposed legislation.

In a fascinating new webinar sponsored by Heartbeat International and the Charlotte Lozier Institute, CLI adjunct scholar Dr. Elizabeth Johnson gave a fascinating presentation on induced abortion and the subsequent risk of pre-term birth.  In her talk, Dr. Johnson describes the serious public health concerns of pre-term birth and discusses the growing body of research on the topics as it relates to both clinical practice and a woman’s informed consent.

Last week, the State Department released their annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.  The years report saw the downgrade of three countries (China, Russia, and Uzbekistran) from a Tier 2 ranking to Tier 3, which is the lowest possible ranking.  Countries designated into the Tier 3 category are those countries that “do not fully comply with the (trafficking) law’s minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.”

Last week, a fascinating new research paper was released which demonstrates that mothers and babies in Ireland are safer there and receive better care than they would in the neighboring United Kingdom, in spite of the fact that abortion remains illegal in Ireland.  The paper, entitled Maternal and Neonatal Health and Abortion: 40 Year Trends in Great Britain and Ireland, was authored by CLI Adjunct scholar Byron Calhoun, MD, as well as John M. Thorp MD, and Patrick S. Carroll, MA.  It was published in the American Journal of Physicians and Surgeons.