Planned Parenthood Off the Hook

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Oct 19 — Planned Parenthood clinics in California will not be required to tell clients of a possible link between abortion and breast cancer, according to the Associated Press.

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a decision by the state Supreme Court that dismissed a suit by three California women. The suit alleged that Planned Parenthood clinics were withholding information linking abortion to an increased risk of breast cancer. The AP reported that the women were also ordered by the California court to pay $77,000 in legal fees under a state law requiring compensation for legal fees of “targets of meritless suits that seek to thwart free expression.”

In the past, National Cancer Institute fact sheets said links between abortion and breast cancer were “inconclusive.” A revised fact sheet posted on the institute's website in March 2003 said, “The newer studies consistently showed no association between induced and spontaneous abortions and breast cancer risk.”

Arnold Would Not Terminate Embryonic Research

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, Oct 19 — The California ballot initiative that would provide nearly $3 billion over 10 years for embryonic stem-cell research has been endorsed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Schwarzenegger, a Catholic, announced his support for Proposition 71, the measure that would include funding for research with stem cells derived from babies less than 2 weeks old. Passage would force taxpayers to foot the bill for the research, the story said.

In a related story, the Sacramento Bee reported Oct. 15 that the California Nurses Association, which bills itself as “pro-choice,” is opposed to Proposition 71. Among concerns of leaders of the 58,000-member group is that the measure might allow private drug companies to patent discoveries and benefit from the research at public expense. According to the Bee, the nurses also fear that women who voluntarily donate their eggs for research would not be fully informed about possible medical risks.

Boston Churches Set For Closure Find an Opening

THE BOSTON GLOBE, Oct. 18 — Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley announced that two parishes scheduled to be closed have been granted reprieves, The Boston Globe reported. The two were among 82 parishes scheduled for closure, a decision the archbishop attributed to declining attendance, a growing shortage of priests and estimated building-repair costs of more than $100 million.

The parishes are 130-year-old St. Bernard in Newton and St. Mary of the Angels in Boston's Roxbury section. St. Bernard's, which was scheduled to close Oct. 25, will remain open indefinitely to allow more meetings with parishion ers. St. Mary of the Angels, which is self-financed, will remain open two more years in recognition of its role in reducing neighborhood crime, the newspaper said.