British Doctor Under Fire for Involvement in Apparent Assisted Suicide Case
London, England (LifeNews.com) -- A doctor in England is under fire for his involvement in an apparent assisted suicide. Glasgow doctor Iain Kerr stands accused of breaking the law by prescribing sleeping pills to a patient who had talked of killing herself. Kerr gave the medication to an 87-year-old woman who went on to commit suicide, a General Medical Council hearing was told last week. The council also heard the doctor has told his colleagues that he was a member of an organization that promotes euthanasia. Kerr's patient, who had osteoporosis and chronic lower back pain and feared becoming a burden on her family, killed herself using a combination of Temazepam and two other drugs, in December 2005. Kerr told the hearing that he wasn't trying to help the woman commit suicide but GMC expert Dr. Leonard Peter told the hearing in Manchester it was "clearly illegal" to prescribe drugs to patients so they could end their own lives. "This is not a matter of clinical judgment . . . It's the obligation on all doctors to oblige the law and act in the patient's interests,” he said. During the hearing, there was some questions about whether the British laws that prohibit assisted suicide apply to Scotland, where Kerr’s practice is located.

California Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs Bill Relaxing Abortion Center Probes
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has upset pro-life advocates by signing a bill into law that relaxes inspection standards on abortion centers. According to a press release from the governor’s office, Schwarzenegger signed the measure, AB 2010, on July 10 after it was rushed through the state legislature. It was chaptered by the secretary of state the same day Schwarzenegger signed it. According to the California Catholic Daily newspaper, Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier, a Democrat from Concord, introduced the bill on behalf of abortion business Planned Parenthood. The bill rescinds a 2007 letter from the Department of Public Health to its district offices telling administrators that “affiliate clinics” like those of the abortion business are subject to onsite inspection before they can open. The result of the measure is that Planned Parenthood can open new abortion centers without any oversight from the state government and health inspectors. Planned Parenthood opposed the inspections claiming they delayed its ability to do abortions for women. But a legislative analysis of AB 2010 noted that “according to the Department of Public Health, there is currently no backlog for clinic surveys and DPH further indicates that all completed clinic licensing applications have been processed, and that the initial surveys for those applicants has been completed.”

Canadian Man Spends Years in Pain After His First Child Becomes Abortion Victim
Windsor, Canada (LifeNews.com) -- The following is a letter a Canadian man, Windsor resident Rob Cheshire, wrote to the Windsor Star newspaper about his abortion experience. The letter also responds to the recent awarding of the Order of Canada to abortion practitioner Henry Morgentaler. “My experience with abortion may not be unique, but it has shaped a unique perspective. My first child was aborted 25 years ago, and I paid $100 American for that termination. That ended the life of my child, and caused painful years of reflection. Legally, if an unborn child was provided the right of security, and life under the charter, I would be guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, but this is not the case. In Canada, the unborn have no rights unless the mother chooses to recognize them. It appears the issue of choice means different things to different people. My support, choice and decision has left a scar of some permanence, and regret, that time cannot, and will not move, for it is one of blood. I think that we can agree that if children are considered innocent, are not the unborn deserving of protection? Education and the availability of birth control have not curtailed abortion. There are adoption agencies and couples unable to bear children willing and able to accept the unwanted. I believe the cause of all of mankind's problems is our selfishness, and a desire to hide from responsibility. I am selfish, my character is deeply flawed, and I cannot change the past. I choose to try to live differently today. Pain, whether emotional or physical, can be a great motivator. I cannot support the award of the Order of Canada to a man who profits from terminating human life in its most innocent of stages.”

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