Faith-Based Chastity

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, April 2—Teens with strong religious views, particularly girls, are less likely to have sex than are less religious teens.

According to a recent analysis of the Add Health Survey, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, religion reduces the likelihood of adolescents engaging in early sex by shaping their attitudes and beliefs about sexual activity and its consequences.

Parents’ religious and sexual attitudes don' directly affect their children's decision to have sex, but they do influence the formation of their children's own attitudes toward sex, according to Ann Meier, one of the researchers.

Condoms Condemned in Kenya

THE NATION, March 29—At a weeklong AIDS symposium in Nairobi, the moderator of the Presbyterian Church, East Africa General Assembly, the Right Rev. Dr. Jesse Kamau, said, “We shall not teach our people to use the wrong method to fight the enemy [AIDS]. Even if you use four condoms, your life still hangs in the balance.”

All Christian churches that have been involved in the discussions—Anglican, Methodist and Catholic—have opposed the use of condoms. Muslims have advocated their use within marriage.

Philippine Abortuary Sting

ABS-CBN NEWS, April 12—Six suspected abortionists and two of their associates have been arrested in an illegal abortion facility in Obando, Philippines.

Chief Supt. Eduardo Matillano, director of the National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said the suspects were arrested in a sting operation inside their rented apartment that doubled as their “clinic.”

Matillano said an eight-man team of agents employed the pregnant wife of a policeman to nab the suspects red-handed.

Umbilical Blood Banking

DAILY JOURNAL, April 13—Gretel Kaleel was pregnant in 1997 when she heard of a procedure that uses a newborn's discarded umbilical cord blood for stem-cell research.

After learning more, Kaleel decided to donate her child's cord blood after delivery and is now leading the push to get more women in Illinois to do the same.

Her voice has been heard: The Illinois House has passed legislation requiring licensed hospitals to notify pregnant women that they have the option. The bill now heads to the Senate.

“Too often women have no idea that they can donate their umbilical-cord blood and, by virtue of doing so, save thousands of lives,” said Rep. David Leitch.