Police spokeswoman says they are working with families involved and the Department of Communities
A 12-year-old girl has given birth in Perth, prompting questions from police and other welfare agencies.
The girl was reportedly 11 years old when she became pregnant.
Continue reading...Obscure parliamentary procedures are currently all the rage, from John Bercow’s controversial deviation from precedence in selecting amendments to business motions and the arcane voting procedure requiring MPs to physically go through division lobbies, or be “nodded through” (for which they still have to be on parliament grounds), for their vote to be counted.
Continue reading...Speaker’s intervention comes after Tulip Siddiq says she will postpone caesarean section
John Bercow has told parliament the Labour MP Tulip Siddiq should be allowed to have a proxy for the Brexit vote on Tuesday so she does not have to delay having a baby by caesarean section in order to get to Westminster.
The Speaker of the House of Commons said it was time “reactionary forces” were overcome and demanded Conservative and Labour whips introduce the proxy system immediately so Siddiq does not have to go through the division lobby in a wheelchair.
Continue reading...Scientists called study’s findings upsetting and said toxic air must be cut
Air pollution is as bad for pregnant women as smoking in raising the risk of miscarriage, according to a scientific study. They said the finding was upsetting and that toxic air must be cut to protect the health of the next generation.
Air pollution is already known to harm foetuses by increasing the risk of premature birth and low birth weight. Recent research has also found pollution particles in placentas.
Related: Air pollution harm to unborn babies may be global health catastrophe, warn doctors
Continue reading...South Korea and US teams say infertility could be linked to deficiency of a protein in womb
A new study has cast light on why some women with endometriosis experience infertility, with scientists saying the finding could lead to new treatment options.
Endometriosis is an inflammatory condition in which cells that usually form the lining of the uterus are present elsewhere, such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes, pelvis and rectum.
Related: Endometriosis left me in agony. Now doctors must take women seriously | Brydie Lee-Kennedy
Related: Infertility is an issue for some women with endometriosis. But it’s not the whole story | Kate Young
Continue reading...Behold the handmaid (#2) of the Kardashians. Or at least, that of Kim, the celebrity, and Kanye, artist and Trump loyalist. The couple have just announced the commissioning of their fourth child, using the womb of a gestational carrier who will, since this is the US, be paid for the rental.
In details shared after their previous carrier delivered, last year, Kim Kardashian explained to her millions of fans that she was the first person to have “skin on skin” contact with her baby and that the experience, from carrier vetting to the carrier’s organic diet to delivery, had gone so brilliantly she “would recommend surrogacy to anybody” (presumably as the purchaser rather than the provider). One of the few problems was remembering she was having a baby: “I’m totally gonna forget and then a month before I’m gonna be like holy shit, we need to get a nursery.” For the surrogacy industry, then, this ongoing Kimye promotion may be the most valuable publicity since Elton John and his partner acquired two delightful sons via a similar route – far more so, in fact, since Kardashian, though it could be risky for her to give birth again, at least had the not entirely tragic alternative to gestational assistance of remaining a mother of two healthy children. Conventionally, the attribution of desperation to infertile or gay would-be parents has been critical in eclipsing the other sorts of desperation that might make impoverished Indian, Greek or Ukrainian women consider becoming incubators for rich couples they are unlikely, post baby handover, to see again.
The supposed agonies of infertility have long been critical to burying ethical issues
Continue reading...Imperial College scientists find DNA damage in sperm could be undetected cause
Men should undergo tests when couples suffer repeated miscarriages, according to researchers who say the health of the man’s sperm may sometimes be a factor.
The focus is usually on the woman’s body when multiple pregnancies fail, with tests usually looking for immune system problems or infection. But a small government-funded study by scientists at Imperial College London suggests miscarriage could also be a result of male issues, particularly if they are not routinely tested.
Related: Warmer words might help us to deal with the pain of miscarriage | Letters
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