Muscular Stem Cells

UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL, Oct. 20 — A new University of Texas study indicates cells taken from a patient's own blood could one day be able to repair that person's damaged heart tissue.

While other researchers have shown stem cells derived from bone marrow and umbilical-cord blood can regenerate cardiac tissue, the new study demonstrates that adult stem cells circulating in blood can also repair a heart.

The research, which took place on mice, has been published online in the current issue of the journal Circulation.

Nigerian Nurses vs. Abortion

THIS DAY, Oct. 23 — The Catholic Nurses Guild of Nigeria has vowed to continue to uphold the values of human lives, resist all forms of socioeconomic immorality and defend the sanctity of the family, especially in the Christian spirit.

The National President of the Guild, Mrs. I.L. Amaseimogha, said at its 17th national conference held in Benin City recently that “the guild follows the doctrines of the Church strictly and condemns mercy killings or euthanasia ... We believe in preserving human life; the Catholic nurse never gets involved in criminal abortion.”

Abortion-Cancer Settlement

COALITION ON ABORTION/-BREAST CANCER, Oct. 21 — The first U.S. abortion-breast cancer lawsuit has been settled for an undisclosed amount, according to the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer.

The plaintiff in the case, filed in a Philadelphia County court, was a woman who when 17 years old had a second-trimester abortion in New Jersey without parental knowledge or consent.

Although she hasn't developed breast cancer, she sued her abortion provider, Charles Benjamin, for neglecting to warn her about the physical and emotional risks of abortion.

Karen Malec, the coalition's president, said, “This settlement will teach the medical establishment that it can no longer profit by keeping women in the dark about the breast cancer risk.”

Patricia Ireland Dismissed

THE NEW YORK TIMES, Oct. 20 — Feminist leader Patricia Ireland has been dismissed as chief executive officer of the YWCA less than six months after she was hired to lead the 144-year-old organization.

Members of the YWCA's National Coordinating Board had first asked for her resignation, but Ireland declined.

Audrey Peeples, spokeswoman for the YWCA, said the organization and Ireland were committed to the same goals but that “the YWCA was really just not the best place for [Ireland's] platform.”