Pregnant women in the north of the country who can prove economic difficulty will be given €250 a month for 18 months.
The government-sponsored policy was a key campaign promise of Roberto Formignoni, the centre-Right governor of the Lombardy region, who was elected in regional polls in March. Despite heavy budget cuts, Mr Formignoni said €5 million had been set aside to fund the scheme, which would apply to women who earned less than €23,000 a year and had other children to support.
The move was dismissed by pro-choice activists as propaganda. Critics questioned how women would cope once the anti-abortion "bonus" ran out after a year and a half.
Cinzia Sasso, a feminist writer in Milan, wrote on the website of La Repubblica that the money set aside would only help 1,000 women.
A spokesman for the Italian Bishops' Conference hailed the new policy, saying: "Anything that respects life is to be applauded."
Abortion was legalised in Italy in 1978.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Dozens of woman are having abortions following fertility treatment
Data released under the Freedom of Information Act has shown that an average of 80 abortions are carried out in England and Wales a year on women who have undergone IVF treatment.
Doctors have said they are surprised at the figures considering the expense and difficulty that many couples go through when having fertility treatment.
However critics said women were treating babies like 'designer goods'.
Some women said they were pressured into IVF by their partners and others said they aborted their pregnancy after their relationship broke down.
Around half of the abortions are carried out for women aged between 18 and 34, who are less likely to suffer complications in their pregnancies or conceive babies with abnormalities, raising the question that they may have had abortions for 'social reasons'.
Four in ten women who undergo IVF are under the age of 35.
Around 12,000 women give birth in Britain following fertility treatment and about 200,000 abortions are carried out a year in England.
Prof Bill Ledger, a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which regulates fertility treatment, said: "I had no idea there were so many post-IVF abortions and each one is a tragedy."
The figures were released by the HFEA and show that in some of the cases the fertility treatment had been funded by the NHS.
Selective reductions, where some of the foetuses in a multiple pregnancy are terminated to reduce the risk to the children and mother, are included in the figures.
Ann Furedi, head of the BPAS, formerly known as the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said it was likely that every doctor carrying out abortions had treated at least one woman who had IVF treatment only to change her mind when it was successful.
She said: "For infertile people, overcoming the problem becomes a goal in itself."
Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative MP, said women who underwent IVF and then terminated the pregnancy for social reasons were treating babies like 'designer goods'.
She added that if the law were applied properly these women would not be allowed to terminate.
Most abortions are carried out under section C of the Act which says that the pregnancy was not beyond 24 weeks and that continuing the pregnancy would put the woman's life at greater risk than terminating it or would involve greater risk of injury to the physical or mental health of the woman.
A spokesman for the HFEA said: “IVF is not a procedure to be undertaken lightly and we know what it means personally to the many women who make this decision every year.
"The HFEA does not regulate terminations of pregnancies and has no powers in relation to activities outside those described in the Act. All patients who undergo IVF are assessed, as are the implications for any child that might be born, in advance of the decision to treat."
Doctors have said they are surprised at the figures considering the expense and difficulty that many couples go through when having fertility treatment.
However critics said women were treating babies like 'designer goods'.
Some women said they were pressured into IVF by their partners and others said they aborted their pregnancy after their relationship broke down.
Around half of the abortions are carried out for women aged between 18 and 34, who are less likely to suffer complications in their pregnancies or conceive babies with abnormalities, raising the question that they may have had abortions for 'social reasons'.
Four in ten women who undergo IVF are under the age of 35.
Around 12,000 women give birth in Britain following fertility treatment and about 200,000 abortions are carried out a year in England.
Prof Bill Ledger, a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which regulates fertility treatment, said: "I had no idea there were so many post-IVF abortions and each one is a tragedy."
The figures were released by the HFEA and show that in some of the cases the fertility treatment had been funded by the NHS.
Selective reductions, where some of the foetuses in a multiple pregnancy are terminated to reduce the risk to the children and mother, are included in the figures.
Ann Furedi, head of the BPAS, formerly known as the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said it was likely that every doctor carrying out abortions had treated at least one woman who had IVF treatment only to change her mind when it was successful.
She said: "For infertile people, overcoming the problem becomes a goal in itself."
Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative MP, said women who underwent IVF and then terminated the pregnancy for social reasons were treating babies like 'designer goods'.
She added that if the law were applied properly these women would not be allowed to terminate.
Most abortions are carried out under section C of the Act which says that the pregnancy was not beyond 24 weeks and that continuing the pregnancy would put the woman's life at greater risk than terminating it or would involve greater risk of injury to the physical or mental health of the woman.
A spokesman for the HFEA said: “IVF is not a procedure to be undertaken lightly and we know what it means personally to the many women who make this decision every year.
"The HFEA does not regulate terminations of pregnancies and has no powers in relation to activities outside those described in the Act. All patients who undergo IVF are assessed, as are the implications for any child that might be born, in advance of the decision to treat."
Monday, June 7, 2010
I miss Bill Clinton!
It doesn't matter what party you belong to - this is hilarious.
From a show on Canadian TV, there was a black comedian who said he misses Bill Clinton.
"Yep, that's right - I miss Bill Clinton! He was the closest thing we ever got to having a black man as President.
Number 1 - He played the sax.
Number 2 - He smoked weed.
Number 3 - He had his way with ugly white women.
Even now? Look at him; his wife works, and he doesn't! And,he gets a check from the government every month.
Manufacturers announced today that they will be stocking America's shelves this week with "Clinton Soup," in honor of one of the nations' distinguished men - It consists primarily of a weenie in hot water!
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Chrysler Corporation is adding a new car to its line to honor Bill Clinton. The Dodge Drafter will be built in Canada.
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When asked what he thought about foreign affairs, Clinton replied, "I don't know, I never had one."
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The Clinton revised judicial oath:
"I solemnly swear to tell the truth as I know it, the whole truth as I believe it to be, and nothing but what I think you need to know."
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Clinton will be recorded in history as the only President to do Hanky Panky between the Bushes."
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Meet the frozen sperm siblings born 15 years after their father was left infertile from cancer
As a family photograph, it is hardly out of the ordinary - two-year-old Mariella hugs her baby brother Herbie.
Yet for parents Ian and Alison Morris, it is a reminder that these are the children they never thought they could have.
Mariella and seven-month-old Herbie were born using Mr Morris's frozen sperm, stored for an astonishing 13 years after cancer treatment left him infertile.
Following his successful battle against the disease, the couple had several unsuccessful attempts at starting a family using IVF and were close to giving up in despair.
But one final try, in February 2007, worked and Mariella was born the following October.
Incredibly, the couple then had a second success last year with Herbie, by which time Mr Morris's sperm had been frozen for 15 years.
Mrs Morris, 37, said: 'I thought I'd never be a mum so to have our two miracle frozen babies really is the most wonderful thing.'
Mr Morris, 49, a design engineer, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in March 1994, three years after the couple married.
His wife, a buyer for a television shopping channel, said: 'We were just so shocked. The level of cancer in cells in his body was so high that the doctors said they were amazed he was still standing.'
Fortunately, Mr Morris's brother Barry was the perfect match for a life-saving bone marrow transplant.
Before the treatment, which involved chemotherapy, doctors warned him to have his sperm frozen as he would be left infertile.
After Mr Morris's recovery, the couple, of Grantham, Lincolnshire, decided to try for a family in 2002.
Mrs Morris said: 'We had been really hopeful when we had our first try at IVF as we knew there was nothing wrong with me, and we were using the frozen sperm. So when it didn't work we were devastated.'
A second and third attempt failed before they went to specialist clinic Care Fertility in Nottingham for a last try.
Mrs Morris said: 'We only had two embryos of good enough quality so we knew we didn't have much of a chance. So when I did a pregnancy test and saw the positive blue line, I just couldn't believe my eyes.
'I went for a scan at six weeks... when I saw the tiny heartbeat on the screen I just burst into tears.'
The record for a live birth from frozen sperm is 21 years, in Manchester in 2002.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
'Ecstatic' Celine Dion pregnant with IVF twins at 42
Singer Celine Dion is reportedly pregnant with twins after her sixth attempt at in-vitro fertilisation.
The 42-year-old Canadian star's dream of expanding her family has come true, her spokesman has told U.S. media.
Dion, who is married to her manager Rene Angelil, 68, is already mother to nine-year-old Rene-Carles.
And after undergoing her sixth in-vitro fertilisation attempt and turning to acupuncture to improve her chances of conceiving, her spokesman Kim Jakwerth confirmed the happy news.
Dion is said to be 14 weeks pregnant and will find out the babies' genders next month.
'We're ecstatic,' her husband and manager Rene Angelil told the website.
'Celine is just hoping for a healthy pregnancy.
'She was hoping for one baby and the news that we are having two is a double blessing.'
It was reported Celine was pregnant last August, but her spokeperson confirmed in November 2009 that the pregnancy had failed.
The My Heart Will Go On singer has never made a secret of her desire to extend her family, and was always planning to fall pregnant following her run of shows in Las Vegas last year.
But Rene's battle with cancer cast doubt over whether the couple would have more children of their own.
She said: 'We'll give it a try after my tour. Hopefully we will be parents again. If not, that's fine. We have our miracle baby.'
Celine fell pregnant with Rene-Charles after having IVF treatment following six years of attempting to conceive.
When asked last December about her plans to fall pregnant for a second time, she confirmed she and her husband had 'a frozen embryo' waiting
Last year, Rene said: 'We are living the reality of the majority of couples who have to use [IVF]. The process can be long and arduous.
'But we are full of confidence. Céline is more determined than ever.'
In February, Celine told talk show host Oprah Winfrey that she and Rene had started on their fifth pregnancy attempt, and were determined not to give up.
She said: 'It’s life. You know? A lot of people go through this, but it’s not being told because it’s not in newspaper.
'But with us, as you know, it’s like, sometimes news are like mercury.'
Celine also said she didn't want to announce her miscarriage straight away, explaining: 'They said that I was pregnant, and a couple of days after, we were not pregnant again.
'We didn’t want to feel like we were playing yo-yo - "I’m pregnant. I’m not pregnant. I’m pregnant. I’m not pregnant." So we didn’t want to do this thing. But we did have a miscarriage.'
She added: 'I will be the happiest one to tell you when I’m pregnant. And if not, I’m the luckiest artist, especially wife and mother of a wonderful son. So I’m glad.'
Meanwhile, construction on the couple's Florida dream home - a £13million oceanfront Jupiter estate - is forging full steam ahead
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
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