D Friday, January 29, 2010 News Our abortion law is a violation of human rights, say campaigners THE stance on abortion is a violation of human rights, a civil liberties group claims. Human Rights Watch accused the Government of actively seeking to restrict access to abortion services and information. The report, A State of Isolation: Access to Abortion for Women in Ireland, details how women struggle to overcome the financial, logistical, physical, and emotional burdens imposed by restrictive laws and policies that force them to seek care abroad. Women in need of abortion services should, as a matter of international law and... human decency, be able to count on support from their government, said Marianne Mollmann, of Human Rights Watch. But in Ireland they are actively stonewalled, stigmatised, and written out. The group says doctors are reluctant even to provide pre-natal screening for severe foetal abnormalities, for fear of ramifications. The law on abortion is an affront to human rights, Ms Mollmann said. The Irish Family Planning Association called on the Government to stop exiling women in crisis pregnancies. Doctors MMR tests unethical 406 children wait surgery WAITING lists at the States largest childrens hospital have come in for criticism by the chief executive of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). Pat OByrne told a Dil committee he was not happy with how waiting lists were being managed at Our Ladys Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin. He described as patchy the level of engagement the hospital has had with the NTPF. As a result, children are on public waiting lists at a time when treatment could be arranged privately for them by the NTPF, he said. There are now 406 children waiting between three and six months and 71 children waiting more than a year for surgery. Hollywood stars Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro pose at the photocall for the movie The Wolfman in Rome Win tickets to see the movie first and free P15 Picture: AP Call of the wild New morning-after pill stops pregnancy five days after sex A NEW morning-after pill that can prevent pregnancy nearly a week af- ter unprotected sex has been hailed as an exciting step forward by pro- choice campaigners, but it is not yet available over-the-counter here. The drug, Ulipristal Acetate (UA), provides a contraception window of up to five days, compared with just three for the traditional emergency pill. New research published yesterday showed that it more than halved the risk of pregnancy compared with the 72-hour pill, Levonorgestrel. However, although UA has been li- censed in Europe since May, it is not yet available over the counter and costs three times more than the alter- native drug. Doctors writing in The Lancet Med- ical Journal combined findings from their own trial with data from an ear- lier study. Women attending clinics in Ireland, the UK and US seeking emergency By John von Radowitz Many women are not able to access it contraception within five days of un- protected sex were randomly given one of the two pills. Among the total of 1,694 women, there were 15 pregnancies in the UA group and 22 in the Levonorgestrel group. Ann Furedi, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said: This new type of emergency contraceptive pill is exciting news for those of us working to help women avoid unintended pregnancy. It offers a longer time window for use than the traditional emergency contraception pill. However, accessibility is key to any time-sensitive medication and since this pill is not currently availa- ble over-the-counter and is more ex- pensive to buy than the traditional morning after pill, it may be that many women who could benefit from it are not able to access it, she said. THE doctor at the centre of the MMR scare showed a callous disregard for the suffering of children and subjected some youngsters to unnecessary tests, the British General Medical Council (GMC) has ruled. Dr Andrew Wakefield, who now works in the US, abused his position of trust as he researched a possible link between the MMR vaccine, bowel disease and autism. He also brought the medical profession into disrepute after he took blood samples from children at his sons birthday party in return for 5 payments. The GMC heard Dr Wakefield later joked about it during a presentation. Panel chairman Dr Surendra Kumar said: Despite your explanation that you did not consider it unethical to obtain blood in this way, the panel found that it was unethical. It also found that you showed a callous disregard for the distress and pain you knew the children involved might suffer. You abused your position of trust as a medical practitioner. Dr Wakefields research linking of the MMR jab to autism has been disproven by multiple later studies. The doctor, who was not at the hearing said: The allegations against me are both unfounded and unjust. Dr Wakefield: Research debunked v1 index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html