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In the News

  • Babies made from two women and one man have been approved by the UK's fertility regulator.

    The historic and controversial move is to prevent children being born with deadly genetic diseases.

    Doctors in Newcastle - who developed the advanced form of IVF - are expected to be the first to offer the procedure and have already appealed for donor eggs.

    The first such child could be born, at the earliest, by the end of 2017.

    Read more

  • A 300,000-signature anti-abortion petition hailed as the largest ever presented to the Stormont Assembly was a collection of nine previously collated petitions, one dating back as far as 2001, the Justice Minister has said.

    Around 50 boxes full of signatures collected by pro-life campaign group Precious Life were delivered to Claire Sugden last month.

    It came amid the ongoing debate on whether a law banning abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities should be lifted in Northern Ireland.

    A 45,000-strong online petition advocating a law change which was compiled by Amnesty International had been presented to the Assembly weeks earlier.

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  • Oh how my heart sung the other week, when Theresa May mounted robust defence of Christianity in Parliament. She even went so far as to state that “our Christian heritage is something we should be proud of”. You wouldn’t have heard any of her last four immediate predecessors utter anything half so bold, without some mealy-mouthed disclaimer.

    Mrs May’s statement was prompted by a question from the perennially sound Fiona Bruce MP, who said that “many Christians are now worried or even fearful, about mentioning their faith in public” and asked for the Prime Minister to join her in welcoming a publication from the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship, entitled ‘Speak Up’, which confirms the rights of UK Christians to speak about their faith responsibly, respectfully and without fear.

    Theresa May endorsed the publication and its findings, saying that freedom of speech is a ‘jealously guarded principle’ adding, ‘we would all want to ensure that people at work do feel able to speak about their faith’.

    Read more

  • A newspaper in India has offered its readers scientifically unfounded tips for ensuring they conceive boys instead of girls, telling would-be mothers to eat lots and face west while sleeping.

    The sex of a child is determined by the chromosomes in the father's sperm.

    But the daily newspaper Mangalam, in Kerala state in southern India, printed six suggestions for those who want to have baby boys.

    There is a cultural preference for male children in India.

    Read more

  • Sarah Kuteh was employed in the surgical pre-assessment unit at the trust’s Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, where she was responsible for running through a pre-operative questionnaire that includes a question about religion.

    She claims the question sparked natural discussion about faith and she was providing reassurance to patients, who were often facing a "life-changing, devastating diagnosis".

    However, she was warned to stop "preaching" at patients by her manager following complaints. The trust claimed her behaviour did not change and it “had no option" but to embark on a disciplinary process, which ultimately resulted in her being dismissed.

    Read more.

  • It has been another week in which we've seen Christians in the Middle East losing their lives to violence and persecution, but much media attention in the UK has instead focussed around the plight of a nurse, supposedly sacked for "offering to pray with her patients".

    Sister Sarah Kuteh was employed by Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust as a nurse in the surgical pre-assessment unit. Part of her job involved completing a pre-operative assessment form which includes asking patients scheduled for surgery about their religion or belief to ensure any religious requirements are understood prior to surgery.

    But despite repeated warnings not to do so, Mrs Kuteh abused her position to evangelise her Christian faith to patients.

    Read more.

  • Pro-abortion President Barack Obama has finalized a new rule that would essentially prohibit states from defunding the Planned Parenthood abortion business and a leading pro-life member of Congress is not happy about it.

    The finalized rule from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) prevents states from blocking Title X funding (federal dollars for family planning services) to abortion companies like Planned Parenthood.

    Responding to the rule, pro-life Rep. Diane Black told LifeNews.com, "With this rule, we see an administration that has become unglued at the knowledge of the impending pro-life sea change in Washington, DC."

    Read more.

  • A woman has given birth after surgeons restored her fertility by implanting ovary tissue taken when she was a child.

    The 24-year-old is thought to be the first in the world to have a baby after having an ovary frozen before the onset of puberty.

    Moaza Al Matrooshi, who gave birth in London, said the arrival of her baby son was "like a miracle".

    Read more.

  • Russia has prevented the United Nations security council from thanking outgoing secretary general Ban Ki-moon specifically for promoting gay rights during his decade in office, diplomats said.

    The 15-member council met to pay tribute to Ban, who will step down later this month. Being gay is a crime in at least 73 countries, the UN has said, and the issue of gay rights consistently sparks heated debate at the United Nations.

    The United States and other members had wanted a council statement to read: "It is thanks to you, Mr Secretary-General, that women, young people, and the LGBT community have been heard and assisted, and today their voices sound louder and stronger in this headquarters and around the world."

    Read more.

  • In nine states, women who seek abortions must first sit through a counseling session on the procedure’s supposed negative psychological effects.

    Women who have abortions might experience "depression or thoughts of suicide," reads one example, the Texas "Woman’s Right to Know" booklet.

    "Some women," it continues, "after their abortion, have also reported feelings of grief, anxiety, lowered self-esteem, regret, sexual dysfunction, avoidance of emotional attachment, flashbacks, and substance abuse."

    Read more.