One grant for US$4.5 million has been made for research into fetal tissue transplantation for treatment of Parkinson's disease in the USA, by the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke. It will support about 40 such operations, including control operations in which patients receive other tissue, to really test the effectiveness. This grant is actually the first since last year when the ban on federal funding of fetal tissue experiments was removed. The possible future of the fetal tissue bank, and ethical issues, are discussed in Science 262 (1993), 1663-5. Letters on fetal tissue transplants are in NEJM 329 (1993), 1498-500, 1579.

The US Senate has voted to ban anti-abortion violence, and impose tough penalties; BMJ 307 (1993), 1377. The violence against abortion clinics in the USA is reviewed in Lancet 342 (1993), 939-40. A new argument has been added to the anti-abortion campaign in the USA, that abortion increases the rate of breast cancer by 1.5 times, Lancet 342 (1993), 1290. Letters on the US trial of Casey are in JAMA 270 (1993), 2559-60.

A call for legalisation of abortions in Brazil by a Nun is in BMJ 307 (1993), 1443. It is because of the high number of maternal mortalities, also see Lancet 342 (1993), 1099-100; and book reviews in NEJM 329 (1993), 1586-90; SSM 37 (1993), 1579-84. On maternal mortality in the UK see BMJ 307 (1993), 1087-8.

A California hospital has gained approval from the FDA to begin trials on the use of RU-486 for breast cancer treatment; Reproductive Freedom News (3 Dec 1993), 7.

A recently published journal is Reproductive Health Matters (Editorial Office: 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9SG, U.K.), which aims to be available for everyone who wants to receive a copy and has not got access to international currency. In the second issue (Nov. 1993), there are a series of papers on the theme of "Making abortion safe and legal: the ethics and dynamics of change". The contributors are from a number of different countries. A paper looking at the ethics defending abortion is J. McMahan, "The right to choose an abortion", Phil. & Public Affairs 22(4), 331-50.

On 24 January the US Supreme Court unanimously voted that illegal anti-abortion violence and harassment may be prosecuted under federal racketeering law;Reproductive Freedom News (28 Jan 1994), 2. Also on US abortion laws see Lancet 343 (1994), 168.

A survey of the teaching of ethics in obstetrics and gynecology in North America is reported in O&G 83 (1994), 315-20. In the responding institutions, 78% covered general ethics principles. A NIH panel has been set up to look at the ethics of embryo research, with some response; Nature 367 (1994), 502.

A debate among researchers over whether fetal tissue transplants are useful for treating Parkinson's disease is discussed in Science 263 (1994), 600-1. Although one grant has been awarded, it only uses one method to implant and if it fails and research money becomes more difficult to obtain, other researchers fear their methods will be untested.

In the USA, Michigan state's mandatory 24 hour waiting period for abortions has been halted by a restraining order until a court case can assess it. The federal government has instructed states again to cover abortions for rape and incest survivors; Reproductive Freedom News (1 April 1994), 2-3; Lancet 343 (1994), 168-9. The newsletter issued every two weeks reviews the legal changes and court cases across the USA. There have also been two recent court cases in the US sentencing "pro-life" protestors for murder for killing doctors who provide abortions. There are also proposals in the USA for nonphysicians to be trained how to perform abortions, Lancet 343 (1994), 535. On abortion debates, Lancet 343 (1994), 348. The number of abortions in the USA in 1991 fell 2.8% from 1990, making a ratio of 339 abortions per 1000 live births; JAMA 271 (1994), 496.

The Polish Medical Association has removed the ban on abortions in its medical code, by replacing it with a softer version which requests doctors to respect life; Lancet 343 (1994), 47. They have also amended the medical oath, removing the phrase respect life "from its conception", to leave it open.

A series of open public meetings by the NIH Human Embryo Research panel are underway to hear arguments regarding research on human embryos; New Scientist (12 Feb 1994), 8. A general discussion of the world situation is R. Rowland, "Human embryo research. A global social experiment", Search 25: 56-6. The abortion of anencephalic infants and Catholic morality is debated in KIEJ 3 (Dec 1993), 357-69.

Comments on the research debate over whether fetal tissue grafts can help Parkinson's disease are in Science 263 (1994), 600-1, 737; BMJ 308 (1994), 433-4. There is also hope that fetal grafts may mend heart tissue damage, Science 264 (1994), 31.

Book reviews of interest to abortion arguments are Bioethics 8 (1994), 183-7; SSM 38 (1994), 94-5. A paper of the relationship between father and fetus is J. Losco & M. Shublak, "Paternal-fetal conflict: An examination of paternal responsibilities to the fetus", Politics & Life Science 13 (Feb 1994),63-75. It includes discussion of the case of where a father may harm the fetus. Papers on abortion and philosophy include: J. Health Politics, Policy & Law 18 91993), 967-82; J.F. Crosby, "The personhood of the human embryo", J. Med. Phil. 18 (1993), 399-417, 419-21.

An Irish politician has claimed that a 15 year old victim of incest was being denied travel aboard for an abortion, Japan Times (3 July; 1994: UPI), 19. The case is under media restraint in a Dublin court, but is similar to the 1992 case of a rape victim, which led to a referendum on the issue.

Lech Walesa has said he will resign rather than sign the new changes in the Polish abortion law which have been approved by both houses of Parliament, Japan Times (3 July 1994), 5; Lancet 343 (1994), 1090. The changes relax the law, and would need a two thirds majority to avoid a Presidential veto.

A federal court in the USA recently blocked a Colorado state ban on the use of public funds for abortion, Reproductive Freedom News (13 May 1994), 3-4. Meanwhile the New York High Court of Appeals has upheld the exclusion of abortion from the state prenatal care program, Reproductive Freedom News (13 May 1994), 4. A letter on the reportedly biased use of questions to determine abortion attitudes is in JAMA 271 (1994), 1400. A study of the income, and other factors, of women claiming federal money for abortions in the USA finds two thirds at or below the federal poverty level, JAMA 271 (1994), 1234.

Everyday about 10000 African women undergo unsafe abortions, and a conference report on efforts to try to legalise abortions to reduce the number of complications and deaths is Lancet 343 (1994), 1031.

A philosophical paper on the status of the human embryo is D. Gareth Jones, "The human embryo: Between oblivion and meaningful life", Science & Christian Belief 6: 3-20. The BMA, in their response to the HFEA, has said that fetal tissue should not be used for treatment, BMJ 308 (1994), 1375.

A commentary on the low uptake of RU486, or "medical" abortion in the UK is Brit. J. Obs. & Gyn. 101: 367-8. The combination of RU486 and sulprostone is reportedly safe as an abortant from a French study in F&S 61 (1994), 627-31.

A debate over anencephalic fetuses, concluding that early delivery is morally justified is, O'Rourke K. & DeBlois, J. "Induced delivery of anencephalic fetuses: A response to J. L. Walsh and M. M. McQueen", KIEJ 4 (1994), 47-53. A US/UK difference in attitudes to anencephalic fetuses is found in recent court cases, Lancet 343 (1994), 1584-5.

In the USA, a Wayne County Circuit Court judge in Michigan, struck down Michigan's 1993 law requiring a 24 hour waiting period on abortions, as unconstitutional; Reproductive Freedom News (22 July 1994), 2-3. A boycott against products of Roussel Ulcaf in the USA has been called for by antiabortion advocates because they donated the US rights to the drug to Population Council, a New York non-profit agency, Reproductive Freedom News (22 July 1994), 7; Lancet 344 (1994), 187. Another medical doctor was murdered by an abortion protester in the USA in July.

A US Bishop ordered a stop to the dispensing of the morning after pill for rape victims in St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria, Illinois, Hospital Ethics (Jul/Aug), 12-3. There is still debate over whether it prevents contraception or implantation, and opposition from the community as the hospital is the normal center for rape victims from the 17 surrounding counties to be taken. A criticism of nurses refusals to perform abortions is L. Cannold, "Consequences for patients of health care professionals' conscientious actions: the ban on abortions in South Australia", JME 20 (1994), 80-6. A short letter on the Vatican Bioethics Committee is Nature 370 (1994), 172.

The Polish lower Parliament has changed the wording of abortion law to allow abortion on the grounds of "adverse physical circumstances of life", or "difficult personal circumstances"; Lancet 343 (1994), 1563.

A review of a book on US abortion law, D.J. Garrow, The Rights to Privacy and the Making of Roe v. Wade, New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1994, 981pp., US$28, is in Lancet 343 (1994), 1555-6. US abortion data is also discussed in NEJM 331 (1994), 324-5. A study of criteria used for abortions in Scotland is BMJ 309 (1994), 15-9.

The US NIH Human Embryo Panel has released rules on embryo research, that have been long awaited; Science 265 (1994), 1024-6, 1345; Nature 371 (1994), 370;BME 100 (Aug 1994), 3-4; Reproductive Freedom News (7 Oct 1994), 7-8. There are numerous grant applications for such research at the NIH, awaiting the panel, Science 266 (1994), 27.

Anti-abortion violence in the USA continues, despite laws against it, BMJ 309 (1994), 429, 687-8. On Oct. 5 a jury in Pensacola, Florida, convicted a man on firearm charges for use against an abortion clinic; Reproductive Freedom News (7 Oct 1994), 8. A list of violence in US anti-abortion protests is in Reproductive Freedom News (9 Sept 1994), 8; Lancet 344 (1994), 396. A study of abortion funding in the US found major differences on public health connected with the access to public funds, Meier, K.J. & McFarlane, D.R. "State family planning and abortion expenditures: Their effect on public health", AJPH 84 (1994), 1468-72. A book review of McCorvey, A & Meister, A. I am Roe: My Life, Roe v. Wade, and Freedom of Choice (Harper Collins 1994, 216pp., US$23) is in Nature 371 (1994), 485.

The trials of RU486 in Australia have involved about 300 women, but have caused some controversy, with a trial being stopped for failing to obtain sufficient ethical review, Bioethics Research Notes 6 (1994), 25-6. Trials in the USA are expected to begin and the FDA will consider its safety, FDA Consumer (Sept 1994), 3. Conscientious refusal to help in abortions is discussed in BMJ 309 (1994), 622. The lower house in Poland failed to overturn a presidential veto on the law changes to abortion restrictions, Lancet 344 (1994), 745.

A catholic critique of China's birth control policy is Aird, J.S. "China's "family planning" terror", Human Life Review XX (Summer 1994), 83-104. A case of selective reduction of a pregnancy with 12 live fetuses is Human Reproduction 9 (1994), 1190+. Fetal tissue research is discussed in Linacre Quarterly 61(1), (1994), 53-65; 61(2), 42-62.

The US NIH Embryo Research Panel guidelines have been publicly released (EEIN 4: 78), and there is quite broad coverage; New Scientist (8 Oct 1994), 5; JAMA 272 (1994), 1311-2; Science 266 (1994), 1634-5; Lancet 344 (1994), 1009; BMJ 309 (1994), 900;GEN (1 Nov 1994), 1, 26; Green, R.M. "At the vortex of controversy: Developing guidelines for human embryo research", KIEJ 4 (1994), 345-56. Research that can lead to infertility treatment is accepted, as is development of ES cell lines from donated material. Cloning is not-accepted, nor research after closure of the neural tube (what about spina bifida?), nor fetal oocyte fertilisation with transfer, nor sex selection uses of preimplantation diagnosis, chimeras, parthenogenetically- activated oocytes, cross-species embryoes, nonhuman surrogate mother research nor extrauterine pregnancies. Between the primitive streak and closure of neural tube, extra review is required.

The killings of persons at two Boston abortion clinics is reported in Time (9 Jan 1995), 34-5. The murder of abortion providing doctors is discussed in Monash Bioethics Review 13(4) (1994), 3-4. The Florida murderer Paul Hill was sentenced to death for his double killing, Reproductive Freedom News (16 Dec 1994), 7-8; Lancet 344 (1994), 1076. On November 8, a Canadian doctor was shot in the leg with an AK-47 while eating his breakfast at home; Reproductive Freedom News (2 Dec 1994), 7-8; BMJ 309 (1994), 1322. In a Dec. 5 decision in a US District Court, damages of US$1 million were awarded to a clinic from the damage caused by Operation rescue and associates; Reproductive Freedom News (16 Dec 1994), 2. A review of the abortion standings of the new US government representatives is Reproductive Freedom News (18 Nov 1994), 2-8. For non-US readers it is a different side to politics!

Other papers debating abortion include: JAMA 272 (1994), 1378; Newsweek (12 Dec 1994), 32-3. Abortion is being called for in Northern Ireland, currently it is part of the UK but not performed, BMJ 309 (1994), 1323. A letter on the history of abortion in Italy is Lancet 344 (1994), 957.

The use of RU486 is called for in Australia, MJA 161 (1994), 403-4. US researchers face many delays in obtaining RU486 for any research, Nature 372 (1995), 209. A comparison of abortion with RU486 and vacuum techniques is Human Reproduction 9 (1994), 2167-72; and of vaginal application, JAMA 272 (1994), 1190-5. A debate on multifetal pregnancy reduction is in Human Reproduction 9 (1994), 1978-80. The rate of spontaneous abortions is reported in Lancet 344 (1994), 964. A possible link between abortions and breast cancer is discussed in Lancet 344 (1994), 1289.

A study of Canadian attitudes is Mullen, M.A. et al. "Transplantation of electively aborted human fetal tissue: physicians' attitudes", CMAJ 151 (1994), 325-30. 75% thought there should be no incentives. A discussion of the ethics is CMAJ 151 (1994), 279-82, and the status of grafts for Parkinson's disease in New Scientist (3 Dec 1994), 36-9. The AMA has recommended that anencephalic infants could be suitable for organ donors, Hospital Ethics (Sept 1994), 4. See the Euthanasia section for baby K case discussion.

The dilemmas of a physician in clinical practice are discussed in Blustein, J. & Fleischman, A.R. "The pro-life maternal-fetal medicine physician. A problem of integrity", HCR 25: 22-6. They conclude that it is impossible to practice properly without losing integrity, and recommend that any strong pro-life physicians do not enter this field. In their analysis they are using integrity in only one meaning, it would seem that to respect the patients (mother and her fetus)'s choices and hold your own view is possible for a sincere physician. In a following paper, the concept of integrity is addressed more, Thorp, J.M. et al. "Integrity, abortion, and the pro-life perinatalogist", HCR 25: 27-8. Dresser, R.S. "Freedom of conscience, professional responsibility, and access to abortion", JLME 22 (1994), 280-5; which argues that the number of physicians prepared to offer abortions is falling creating a pressure for others to increase coverage; and BMJ 309 (1994), 1582.

There must also be dilemmas posed by the increasingly violent protests against abortion in the USA. There have been a series of fires at clinics in California. A review of attacks is in Reproductive Freedom News (13 Jan 1995), 2-5. A Florida judge convicted a woman of manslaughter, after she shot herself in the stomach to kill her 6 month old fetus because she could not fund an abortion, Reproductive Freedom News (27 Jan 1995). There are still calls for a "morning-after" pill in the USA, Lancet 344 (1994), 1628; see also NEJM 331 (1994), 1715-7. A legal case of parent & court-ordered treatment of a premature baby in the USA and ethical debate is BMJ 310 (1995), 79.

A report from the abortion excesses of Romania is Lancet 345 (1995), 137-8. A Nigerian study found reproductive tract infections linked to induced abortions, Lancet 343 (1994), 300-4, 270-1.

A discussion of the ethics of fetal research is Klen, R. & Jebavy, J. "Fetal tissue banks need ethical code", BME 104 (Jan 1995), 18-20. The ethics of regulating such research is in Bell, N.M.C. "Regulating transfer and use of fetal tissue in transplantation procedures: The ethical dimensions", AJLM XX (1994), 277-294. Factors which limit the availability beside ethics are in Lancet 345 (1995), 54.

A discussion of the term pre-embryo with a suggested alternative, embryo-placenta and embryo-fetus is Jones, D.G. & Telfer, B. "Before I was an embryo, I was a pre-embryo: or was I?", Bioethics 9 (1995), 32-49. The suggested terms may have less moral inferences than the term pre-embryo. A discussion of Aquinas's views and female ensoulment is Nature 373 (1995), 379, 652.

"Baby K," a girl born at Fairfax Hospital two and a half years ago was anencephalic; Washington Post (7 April 1995), B3 . She stayed in a pediatric nursing facility, with her mother sitting at her bedside. The Supreme Court forced Fairfax Hospital to keep the child alive whenever she had trouble breathing and was rushed to its emergency room. She died of cardiac arrest in early April. The child made medical as well as legal history by living as long as she did, had medical bills approaching $500,000, which were covered by the mother's insurance and Medicaid. The babies condition was diagnosed by ultrasound when her mother was 16 weeks pregnant, and she declined to have an abortion. The father supported the hospital's position that extraordinary measures should not be taken to keep her alive, and he visited her several times.

In the U.S. dependency of Northern Mariana Islands the ban on abortion has been revoked, which was the last remaining abortion ban in U.S. Jurisdiction; Reproductive Freedom News (24 March 1995), 4. The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee has voted to repeal mandatory Medicaid coverage for rape and incest survivors, Reproductive Freedom News (10 March 1995), 2. Following the Republican victory in many states there are a number of legal moves to change abortion regulations. On abortion debates and the US violence: CMAJ 152 (1995), 90; Ethics (Jan 95), 426-30; NEJM 332 (1995), 532-3; BMJ 310 (1995), 267, 422; 547-8. The AMA finally made a statement on abortion, saying that it is a legal medical procedure.

The results of a survey on abortion attitudes in New Zealand (N=1000) finds 83% when the mother's life is in danger, 69% when the child is likely to be born handicapped, and 45% when the mother did not want the child, NZ Listener (4 Feb), 13. A paper on selective abortion is Bouchard, L. et al. "Selective abortion: A new moral order? Consensus and debate in the medical community", Int. J. Health Services 25 (1995), 65-84.

A review of the German Constitutional Court decision of 28 May, 1993 on abortion is IJB 5 (1994), 327-30. In their decision they laid down a set of guiding principles, including "14. A legal qualification of a child's existence as a damage, is, because of the constitution's basic principles (Art. 1, sub. 1 of the German federal Constitution) out of the question. Therefore, the obligation to pay child support, must not be seen as damage.". The issue touches on the wrongful birth concept, and whether minimum support is required. Also on German abortion law, Eur. J. Health Law 1 (1994), 15-34; Medical Law Review 2: 302-20. A paper on Irish abortion cases and European law is Eur. J. Health Law 1 (1994), 167-86.

A prediction of 1 million extra males per year for marriages in China in the year 2010 is Tuljapurkar, S. et al. "High sex ratios in China's future", Science 267 (1995), 874-6. Another country with high abortion rates is Romania, Lancet 345 (1995), 587.

A review is Fine, A. "Transplantation of fetal cells and tissue: an overview", CMAJ 151 (1994), 1261-8.

The European Commission has set up a working group on Human Embryo and Fetus Protection, which will produce a report later in 1995; BME 105 (1995), 7. A report on termination of pregnancy using RU486 is in El-Refaey, H. et al. "Induction of abortion with mifepristone (RU486) and oral or vaginal misoprostol", NEJM 332 (1995), 983-7.

Letters on the Vatican view of the embyro are in Lancet 345 (1995), 728-9; Nature 375 (1995), 352. In the USA the nominee for Surgeon General, Henry Foster, faced much opposition over the abortion count that he has performed, Reproductive Freedom News (5 May 1995), 4-5; and on 22 June the senate blocked his nomination. A method being used in the US by anti-abortion groups is to bring malpractice law suits against doctors who perform abortions, BMJ 310 (1995), 1025-6. The US House Judiciary constitution subcommittee voted to impose jail terms of up to two years for doctors who perform certain rare late-term abortions, by a party line vote of 7-5. This is the first time Congress has moved to ban a specific abortion procedure, Reuters World Service (21 June, 1995).

The Polish Act on Family Planning, Protection of the Human Fetus and the Conditions of Permissibility of Abortion, of 1993, permits abortion only in three cases: when pregnancy threatens the mother's life or health, when medical tests show severe and irreversible deformation of the fetus, or when the pregnancy results from an illegal act such as rape or incest. A doctor illegally performing an abortion faces up to two years in prison. In 1992, approximately 11,000 abortions were performed in Poland. In the first year in which the anti-abortion law was in effect (between mid-March 1993 and April 1994), 777 legal abortions were performed, including 736 due to threats posed by the pregnancies to the mothers' lives and health, 32 due to prenatal tests showing fetal deformation, and 9 after certification was obtained from prosecutors that the pregnancies resulted from crimes. In 1993, authorities opened 53 investigations into illegal abortions. Thirty cases were dismissed as based on false accusations. (The Warsaw Voice, 4 June, 1995).

Irish women have now been given the right to have information about abortions (e.g. in the UK or Europe), BMJ 310 (1995), 691-2, 822-3; Lancet 345 (1995), 718, 1296. On reproductive rights and embryo status, BMJ 310 (1995), 678-9, 946; Newsweek (5 June 1995), 20-1; SSM 40 (1995), 1015, 1313; Ethics 105 (1995), 536-56. A call for better data on abortions in South Africa is in SAMJ 85 (1995), 31, 135-41, 183-4.

A positive result of a fetal transplant is in Kordower, J.H. et al. "Neuropathological evidence of graft survival and striatal reinervation after transplantation of fetal mesencephalic tissue in a patient with Parkinson"s disease", NEJM 332 (1995), 1118-24, pp. 1163-4. However, a shortage of supply of suitable fetal tissue for transplants is shown in a survey in O&G 85 (1995), 619-24. A report on anencephalic donors is Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs of AMA, "The use of anencephalic neonates as organ donors", JAMA 273 (1995), 1614-8. A study finding that overexpression of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase enhances the survival of transplanted neurons is Nature Medicine 1 (1995), 226-31.

In Hong Kong there has been uproar over stories that aborted human fetuses were being sold as human food from a hospital in Shenzhen, China. They are regarded as a dietary supplement or tonic, and are made into soup. A Hong Kong magazine reporter entered the Shenzhen Health Centre north of Kowloon, pretending to be ill. He asked a doctor for a fetus and was given a fist-sized glass bottle stuffed with ten thumb-sized fetuses!

Discussion of whether the German embryo protection law is always going to be strictly interpreted is in BME 109 (1995), 16-8. Embryo research in the USA is debated in HCR 25 (May 1995), 2-6; Nature 376 (1995), 288; and misuse of US embryos, BMJ 311 (1995), 585. Part of the political change is the Republican congress.

There have been two appeals panel decisions striking down abortion funding bans in Arkansas and Nebraska, supporting federal court decisions to invalidate government decisions, Reproductive Freedom News (28 July, 1995), 2-3. However, there are many federal government efforts to ban abortion including a ban on abortion funding for federal employees, and on abortions at military installations, Reproductive Freedom News (14 July, 1995), 4; Lancet 346 (1995), 43, 429-30. A discussion of the religious conversion of the Roe case mother is Newsweek (21 August, 1995), 18-20. The debate was overshadowed by the announcement in the NEJM at the end of August that two over-the-counter drugs can be used to similar effect as RU486. The offices of NEJM have been threatened. The 1995 Victorian, Australia, Infertility Treatment Act bans embryo research, Monash Bioethics Review 14 (July 1995), 6; The Bulletin (Newsweek Australia, 11 July, 1995), 30-1.

On the 5 July, a French judge acquitted nine anti-abortion protestors on the grounds that a fetus is a "future human being, already alive" (which is true!). However, the acquittal decision was not supported by the French Minister of Justice. There continues to be discussion and conflicting opinions, and abortion protestors will be denied the amnesty that can be given to protestors, BMJ 311 (1995), 81, 149-50, 280-1; Lancet 346 (1995), 111. On Spanish abortion reform opposition, BMJ 310 (1995), 1626-7. The Spanish law proposal is to broaden the availability to a general 12 week availability, not only the ethical, therapeutic or genetic categories which are allowed now. In Poland a doctor has been put in trial for contravening the strict abortion law, BMJ 310 (1995), 1556-7; Lancet 345 (1995), 1563. There was also concern over the protection of surplus embryos by a fertility clinic in Warsaw. On sex scandals in the Catholic church, Time (21 August, 1995), 43.

Germany has a new abortion law, which exempts women and doctor from prosecution if they have counseling 3 days before an abortion, by a professional organisation not the gynecologist, Lancet 346 (1995), 111; BMJ 311 (1995), 149.

An Australian study finding public opinion supports gradual development of embryo status is Evans, M.D.R., & Kelley, J., "Public perceptions of when a fetus becomes a human being", Worldwide Attitudes (on-line, 4 September 1995). A commentary on whether third trimester abortion is ever justified, is Br.J.O&G 102 (1995), 434-5. The psychological effects of multifetal reduction are major, but if there is a successful pregnancy the mothers are not psychologically disturbed, as described in F&S 64 (1995), 51-61. Letters on the philosophical status of the embryo include, Nature 376 (1995), 10.

A Canadian survey is, Martin, D.K. et al. "Fetal tissue transplantation and abortion decisions: a survey of urban women", CMAJ 153 (1995), 545+. A letter on the suitability of fetal tissue for transplants is in JAMA 273 (1995), 24.

There have been numerous attempts by the US Republican party to restrict funding and access to abortion, in line with their convictions. A House of Representatives panel has reinstated a ban on the use of District of Columbia funding for abortions, Reproductive Freedom News (19 Oct, 1995), 3. As of October 25, 28 states in the USA require the consent of one parent or older person for a young women seeking an abortion, Reproductive Freedom News (19 Oct, 1995), 5. There has also been a move outlaw methods for late abortions in the USA, which is strongly opposed by the Medical Community, Reproductive Freedom News (19 Oct, 1995), 6. Letters on abortion are in HCR 25 (5, 1995), 2-3; NEJM 333 (1995), 875-7; Lancet 346 (1995), 495, 1026; New York Times (8 Nov 1995), 22. The US Supreme Court judge who wrote the majority opinion in Roe versus Wade retired in 1994, and is discussed in AJPH 85 (1995), 1204-6.

Fetal cell implantation to treat Parkinsonian symptoms was tested by a trial involving 40 patients with placebo control, but had mixed results, and needs more time to be sure of any success, Lancet 353 (1999), 1501. Fear of black market means no RU-486 for Canada until US approves drug, CMAJ 160 (1999), 1753-4.

A discussion of pregnancy prosecutions and abortion is Reproductive Freedom News 8 (June 1999), 1-3. A comment on what the human embryo looks like and whether it matters is Lancet 354 (1999), 244-6. A study on the time of implantation and loss of pregnancy is discussed in NEJM 340 (1999), 1796-9. The risks of spontaneous abortion for life are discussed in O&G 94 (1999), 172-6. Most deaths related to abortion occur in the developing world, BMJ 319 (1999), 1509. The Canadian Supreme Court has ruled that it is wrong to allow children a right to sue their mothers while as a fetus, Lancet 354 (1999), 232. A US study has suggested that a fall in crime in the 1990s is due to the follow on impact of legalized abortion since 1973, that reduced birth among uneducated, teenage and single mothers, risks groups for children to commit crimes, Science 285 (1999), 1205.

A series of 9 papers on the morality of abortion are in CQHE 8 (1999), 405-500. They include papers from China, and Europe, as well as USA. A paper on embryo status is Evans, RW. "Theories on moral standing of the human embryo and fetus. Part 1: Secular theories", Medical Ethics & Bioethics (Bratislava) 5 (1998), 1-6. A series of book reviews of Murray, TH. The Worth of a Child (Univ. California Press, 1996, 207pp.), are in CQHE 8 (1999), 544-60.

US courts are in conflict over late term abortion, BMJ 319 (1999), 1220. Missouri has passed an antiabortion law, BMJ 319 (1999), 874. The legalization of abortion as a public health issue is discussed in AJPH 89 (1999), 1763. Medical abortion is still not available in most countries, BMJ 319 (1999), 1091. See a case study in JAMA 282 (1999), 1169+. The BMA has amended its guidance on abortion to highlight that it does not support harrassment of doctors who do not wish to conduct abortions, BMJ 319 (1999), 925. The Irish government has released a Green Paper to discuss abortion, Lancet 354 (1999), 1010. Around 6 thousand woman a year visit the UK for abortions from Ireland, BMJ 319 (1999), 593. On multifetal pregannacy reduction in triplets, F&S 72 (1999), 423-6. On evolution and embryos, NS (16 Oct. 1999), supplement 1-4. Progress in neurosurgery for Parkinson’s disease is discussed in Lancet 354 (1999), 1658-9; JAMA 282 (1999), 1117-8.

There have been several federal appeal court decisions in the USA which have overturned "partial-birth" abortion bans as unconstitutional, Reproductive Freedom News VIII (Nov. 1999), 6-7. The Supreme Court is likely to consider these bans, Reproductive Freedom News VIII (Dec. 1999), 1, 6. The ban on abortion in El Salvador is discussed in Reproductive Freedom News VIII (Dec. 1999), 2. The UN dues being paid by the USA are linked to avoiding abortion in population health programs, Newsweek (29 Nov. 1999), 33; Lancet 354 (1999), 1886. In New Zealand there are calls for the abortion law to be changed to allow all doctors to authorize abortions, Christchurch Press (22 Dec. 1999), 11; (24 Dec. 1999), 3.

A paper on law is Cook RJ, Dickens BM, "Human rights and abortion laws", Int. J Gynecology and Obstetrics 65 (1999), 81-7. Philosophical papers on abortion are in Nursing Ethics 6 (1999), 37-81. A group called Abortion Reform has combined 13 former groups as a lobby to allow abortion in Ireland, Lancet 354 (1999), 1980. Scotland is aiming to stop antiabortion harassment, BMJ 319 (1999), 1520. On compassion in third trimester abortion, Brit. J. O.&G. 106 (1999), 1329-30.

Results after ten years have found a patients who received fetal neuronal tissue for Parkinson's disease now has normal dopamine release and improved symptoms, Lancet 354 (1999), 1882.

The moral status of human embryos and fetuses in Germany is discussed in IJB 10 (1999), 11-6; and on the statement of the Russian National Bioethics Committee on this subject in 1996, IJB 10 (1999), 73-4. Multiple pregnancy reduction is discussed is Begley, A-M. "Preparation for practice in the new millennium: a discussion of the moral implications of multifetal pregnancy reduction", Nursing Ethics 7 (2000), 99-112. An antiabortion group has targeted a neuroscience research group in Nebraska, Science 287 (2000), 202-3. On placebo use in trials for Parkinson's disease, NEJM 342 (2000), 353-4.

A philosophical study of personhood is Eberl, JT. "The beginning of personhood: A Thomistic biological analysis", Bioethics 14 (2000), 134-57.

The 1997 abortion statistics in Canada suggest one abortion for every three live birth, Vancouver Globe & Mail (8 April 2000), A8. The abortion issue is being discussed in the US presidential campaign, Lancet 355 (2000), 1165. Adoption and abortion is discussed in letters in JAMA 283 (2000), 1565-7. A discussion of the export of anti-choice ideas from the USA is Ms. (April 2000), 28-31. A group called Youth Defence International is campaigning against abortion, Lancet 355 (2000), 1165. A book review of a 19^th century doctor Horatio Robinson Dyer who crusaded against abortion, BMJ 320 (2000), 880. The UK has announced guidelines to give faster and more efficient service for women seeking abortions, BMJ 320 (2000), 733.

Allegations of illegal sales of fetal tissue in the US lead to review of research, Lancet 355 (2000), 998; Nature 403 (2000), 694; Science 287 (2000), 1904-5. A US study has found that most women seeking abortion in the first trimester could accurately predict the duration of pregnancy, Lancet 355 (2000), 877-81. Limitations on the detection of human chorionic gonatrophin are being found, Lancet 355 (2000), 712, 733.

Paper on ethics include Brown, MT. "The morality of abortion and the deprivation of futures", JME 26 (2000), 103-7; Harman, E. "Creation ethics: The moral status of early fetuses and the ethics or abortion", Phil. & Public Affairs 28 (2000), 310-24. A book review of Breaking the Abortion Deadlock is in Ethics (2000), 624-6. A Dutch ship is planning to moor in international waters to provide abortions, Lancet 355 (2000), 2228. The Australian coroner has recommended rules for abortions resulting in live births, Lancet 355 (2000), 1439. US legal barriers to abortion are updated in Reproductive Freedom News (April 2000), 1, 3-5; (May 2000), 4-7. On fetal tissue research, Reproductive Freedom News (May 2000), 4-5.

The USA has approved RU486 for abortion, FDA Consumer (Nov. 2000), 7; SA (Dec. 2000), 16-7. However in Germnay financial losses have led to its withdrawal, BMJ< 321 (2000), 1041. There has been controversy in Australia over a pro-choice doctor, Lancet 356 (2000), 1586. Diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy is reviewed in BMJ 321 (2000), 1235-6. Women who have an abortion in Finland are more likely to commit suicide according to Krohn, A. “Narratives of regret”, Bioethics Research Notes 12 (Dec. 2000), 37-8.

Positive results for several patients have been reported in Bachoud-Levi, AC et al. “Motor and cognitive improvements in patients with Huntington’s disease after neural transplantation”, Lancet 356 (2000), 1975-9; 1945-6. However in the USA the first day after President Bush took over control, he stopped use of federal funds for fetal cell transplants. On tropism of neural stem cells for pathological regions of adult brain, PNAS 97 (2000), 12393-5, 12846-51; Science 290 (2000), 1479-80. The cells may be able to hunt out damaged parts of the brain. On lubrication of brains in Parkinson’s disease, Time (22 Jan. 2001), 53-4.

There have been tougher positions on abortion from the new US president, Bush, and the Republicans. A story of an alleged abortion supported by Bush is in Probe VII (1 Feb. 2001), 1, 4-5. On the use of RU486 in the USA, Probe VII (1 Feb. 2001), 6-7. The use of mifepristone abortion in rural India is discussed in Lancet 357 (2001), 120-1. On early medical abortion with methotrexate and misoprostol, O&G 97 (2001), 11-6.

The Ob-Gyn Policy of San Thomas University Hospital is in Southeast Asian Center for Bioethics Newsletter 15 (Oct. 2002), 1-2. On the right to life agenda in US politics, Nature 420 (2002), 461. Ireland is considering new abortion guidelines, BMJ 325 (2002), 565. Abortion and maternal mortality in Africa are discussed in NEJM 347 (2002), 1984-5. Low dose mifepristone for emergency contraception is discussed in Lancet 360 (2002), 1803-10. The ethics of abortion are discussed in JME (2002), 133-5.

The US Senate passed a bill banning partial birth abortion on 13 March, 2003, Lancet 361 (2003), 1021; BMJ 326 (2003), 619.  A report on how the anti-abortion politics of USA threatened the US HIV initiative is in Lancet 361 (2003), 887. The rights of an embryo  in private law in Italy are reviewed in Law and the Human Genome Review 17 (July 2002), 83-98. A survey of abortion and neonaticide in Israel, US, UK and Denmark is in Bioethics 16 (2002), 202-30. Antiabortion politics in Ireland is discussed in SSM 56 (2003), 1973-86. On safe motherhood in Indonesia, SSM 56 (2003), 1197-207. The injustice of unsafe motherhood is argued in Bioethics 16 (2002), 64+. A review by NCI has ruled out a link between abortion and cancer, Science 299 (2003), 1498-9. The case of a UK doctor who made a mistake during an abortion and removed some internal organ parts has been settled by the GMC, BMJ 326 (2003), 566, 679.

A critical commentary on a paper which looked at admission to psychiatric clinics and abortion is CMAJ 168 (2003), 1253-6, 1257-8. The question of father's child support obligations and abortion decisions is discussed in The Modern Law Review 66 (2003), 175-94.

Issues of conjoined twins are discussed in JAMA 289 (2003), 1307-10. Fetal surgery is developing, BMJ 326 (2003), 461-2; Prenatal Diagnosis 23 (2003), 221-4. The EC is to issue guidelines on embryo research funding, SCRIP 2840 (11 April 2003), 5.

On management of people who have been raped, BMJ 326 (2003), 458-9. Ethics of sham surgery controls in fetal tissue transplants for Parkinson's are discussed in JME 28 (2002), 322-5. Cuba has pioneered a medical procedure to relieve Parkinson's, SA (March 2003), 16.

A critique of routine prenatal diagnosis in Germany and abortion is SSM 56 (2003), 1987-2001. On infanticide, NEJM 348 (2003), 1189. Making safe havens for unwanted babies may reduce infanticide, BMJ 326 (2003), 678.

The BMA has supported the concept of embryo selection using preimplantation diagnosis to help treat a seriously ill sibling, BMJ 327 (2003), 71. A US case is discussed in BMJ 326 (2003), 1416. Teenage childbearing in the USA is discussed in SSM 57 (2003), 881-93. A Swedish study found men born out of wedlock have a higher risk of death from heart attack, SSM 57 (2003), 487-501. Infanticide is discussed in JAMA 289 (2003), 3178-9. A paper on French women's experience with RU486 is in Med. Anthropology Quarterly 16 (2002), 92-108. The use of fetal cells for Parkinson's therapy is not yet ready for widespread use, Nature 424 (2003), 987.

The early induced abortion of severely handicapped infants is debated in Linacre Quarterly 70 (2003), 218-22. In the UK mothers suspected of killing their babies might be dealt with outside of the criminal system, BMJ 328 (2004), 425. Trends in elective termination of pregnancy between 1989 and 2000 in the French county of Isere is reported in Prenatal Diagnosis 23 (2003), 877-83. Pregnancies that end in spontaneous or induced abortioNS do not increase breast cancer rate, Lancet 363 (2004), 1007-16.

Issues for Catholic nurses and doctors in the provision of abortion services are discussed in National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly 4 (2004), 29-40, 89-102. Abortion and health are discussed in NEJM 350 (2004), 1908-10. A US federal court trial on the constitutionality of the partial birth abortion ban started in Manhattan, New York, JAMA 291 (2004), 1690. The long-term mental effects of abortion are discussed in SSM 58 (2004), 2559-69. Italy has a tough law on embryo research, Nature 426 (2003), 746-7.

Emergency contraception will be kept as a prescription only in USA for now, Lancet 363 (2004), 1707. The dilemma of multifetal reduction faces some infertile women after treatment, Research in Nursing and Health 27 (2004), 75-86; F&S 81 (2004), 1420. A series of papers on abortion in India are in Seminar (P.O. Box 338, New Delhi, 110001) 532 (Dec. 2003), 1-94. Pregnancy complications kill 70,000 teenagers each year, Lancet 363 (2004), 1616.  Pregnancy and childbirth are leading causes of death in teenage girls in developing countries, BMJ 328 (2004), 1152. Poland is attempting to liberalize abortion laws, Lancet 363 (2004), 1206.

On human embryo research, Amer. J. Bioethics 4 (Winter 2004), 1-5.  Approval for abortion but disagreement for sexual rights in Tamil Nadu, India are discussed in Reproductive Health Matters 12 (May 2004), 88-99. On abortion in Brazil, CQHE 13 (2004), 275-9; and in Nepal, Lancet 363 (2004), 1905. The UK may review the abortion time limits, BME 199 (July 2004), 3. Australian laws are debated in MJA 181 (2004), 201-3. Physician assistants as providers of abortion services in USA were found to be safe, AJPH 94 (2004), 1352-7. Risk factors in the USA are discussed in 0&G 104 (2004), 635.  Italy is considering reducing funds for abortions, BMJ 329 (2004), 418. In general on abortion, BMJ 329 (2004), 236. On parental consent methods, Harvard Law Review 117 (2004), 2785+. Grief of fathers for abortion is discussed in Sociology of Health & Illness 26 (2004), 326-50.

A report from the Danish Council of Ethics on "The beginning of human life and the moral status of the embryo. A debate outline." is online http://www.etiskraad.dk/sw303.asp. A discussion of US debates on embryo research is Nature 431 (2004), 19-20. An ethical analysis is Lee, P. "The pro-life argument from substantial identity: A defense", Bioethics 18 (2004), 249-63, 64-82; also pp. 221-248. Research on premature infant livers to isolate stem cells is debated in NatMed. 10 (2004), 762. Fetal transplants for Parkinson's disease are discussed in NS (10 July 2004), 40-3.