By an 18-6 vote, the Hawaiian Senate passed legislation that would force all hospitals, including Catholic-run hospitals, to offer and provide abortifacient morning after pills to rape victims. The legislation, which passed the House earlier, would penalize hospitals $5,000 for each instance in which a victim is denied information, along with suspension or revocation of a license after two violations.
The bill now goes to Governor Linda Lingle for her signature.
Click here for the coverage from the Honolulu Advisor.
Study Shows Depo-Provera Leads to 100 Times Greater Herpes Susceptibility
Researchers at McMaster University have found that the abortifacient injectable birth-control drug Depo-Provera caused mice to be 100 times more susceptible to infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2).
The study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Virology (2003;77:4558-4565), also found that the mice injected with the drug had a significantly weaker immune response when exposed to the virus.
While spokesman for Pfizer, the pharmaceutical which manufactures Depo-Provera, were quick to condemn the study, the researchers noted that the study merely confirmed former research noting the drug increased risk of STDs.
See the Reuters coverage.
(These updates courtesy of LifeSite News.)
