Life Links 8/2/07

Authorities in the Phillipines have arrested a doctor named Teresita Ventura who was allegedly performing abortions at her residence.

Police said they received information that Ventura was allegedly performing abortion operations in her residence also in the capital.

The NBI then positioned one of its officers as a pregnant woman needing an abortion and approached Ventura. Ventura allegedly agreed to carry out the operation for a fee of $220.

Jared Bridges points me to an article on stem cell research which appeared in the LA Times and contained a "For the Record" correction because of the following erroneous paragraph:

Embryonic stem cell research typically begins with cloning. Scientists insert the genetic material from an adult human cell into a human egg that's been emptied of its own DNA. The cloned cell is then nurtured in the lab for several days, until it grows into a blastocyst, a microscopic clump of cells that could theoretically develop into a fetus if attached to a uterine wall.

Jared believes it's refreshing for a reporter to acknowledge the connection between cloning and stem cell reseach . I wonder if instead this just shows how little some reporters and editors know about stem cell research.


Here's a story about Accutane and the efforts to make it easier to access while at the same time trying to prevent pregnant women from taking because it causes birth defects. A large portion of the women who became pregnant while using Accutane had abortions.

All patients—men and women—who want the drug must enroll in the program, along with wholesalers, doctors and pharmacies. Women must meet additional requirements, including using two forms of birth control (or pledging abstinence) and passing pregnancy tests before each monthly refill.