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An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death. An abortion can occur spontaneously due to complications during pregnancy or can be induced. Abortion as a term most commonly refers to the induced abortion of a human pregnancy, while spontaneous abortions are usually termed miscarriages. The legality, prevalence, and cultural views on abortion vary substantially around the world. In many parts of the world there is intense public debate over the ethical and legal aspects of abortion. The approximate number of induced abortions performed worldwide in 2003 was 42 million, which declined from nearly 46 million in 1995.^[

Dutch abortion ship arrives in Spain

A Dutch boat offering to carry out abortions that circumvent Spanish laws arrived off the Mediterranean coast of Spain on Thursday.  17 Oct 2008

The boat, run by the Dutch charity Women on Waves, docked in the southeastern port of Valencia on Thursday night, where it will shuttle women seeking abortions 12 miles out to sea in order to escape Spanish jurisdiction and perform the procedure.

The four-day mission is supported by more than 30 Spanish organizations, which hope it will serve to highlight the need for a reform of Spain’s abortion laws.

On Friday morning three women seeking terminations – all less than seven weeks pregnant – boarded the yacht “Menina” and were taken out into international waters before being given an abortion pill.

“Women who want an abortion should be given one without them having to pay for it or seek medical permission,” said Spanish gynaecologist Josep Lluis Carbonell. “We are fighting for a woman’s right to choose and for the same respect to be given to her in Spain as it is already across Europe.”

But the boat’s presence sparked angry protests at the quayside where anti-abortion activists, many of them belonging to Catholic youth associations, tried to prevent the “abortion ship” from docking.

As a Dutch-registered vessel, it can operate in international waters under Netherlands’ abortion laws, which are more liberal than those of Spain. The Women on Waves organisation has previously sent ships to Ireland, Poland, Portugal and Ecuador.

In Spain abortion was legalised in 1985, but it is only offered under restricted circumstances and rarely in a public hospital. Legal terminations are only allowed until the 12th week of pregnancy in cases of rape or until the 22nd week in cases of severe foetal malformation.

But there is no time limit on abortions if there is a risk to the mother’s physical or mental health. Over the last decade the number of abortions performed in Spain has doubled to 100,000 a year.

The vast majority of those are carried out in private clinics after determining an alleged risk to the mother’s mental health, something that opponents say is a blatant abuse of the law.

Spain‘s socialist government announced last month that it would explore ways to reform the law and said it favours legislation similar to that in Britain, which makes abortions freely available up to the 24th week of pregnancy.

 

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ARTICLE 1

Genetic engineering boosts intelligence

US researchers have genetically modified mice to be better at learning and remembering. Team leader Joe Tsien, a neurobiologist at Princeton University said simply: “They’re smarter.” Humans also have the added gene, although it is not yet known whether it has the same function in people. But the scientists believe their results show that one day it may be possible to boost human intelligence.

Side effects

However, Dr Tim Bliss, head of neurophysiology at the National Institute for Medical Research in London, said: “When you insert a gene at random into the genome you don’t know what might happen. These animals seem to be OK, but there might be all sorts of hidden down sides to having this extra protein.

Smart young things

The research team from Princeton, Washington and MIT universities found that adding a single gene to mice significantly boosted the animals’ ability to solve maze tasks, learn from objects and sounds in their environment and to retain that knowledge.

ARTICLE 2

Should genetic engineering be stopped?

ROBIN: Our first caller is David Gerry, who’s on the line from BC in Canada. David, does any of this worry you?

DAVID GERRY: Yes, the speed with which all of these things are being introduced is such that if there is a problem we don’t have the opportunity to identify it and react. If the process were like the introduction of a new drug which takes twelve years then we could be reasonably assured that there are very few side affects, but there are so many products coming on the market so quickly there’s no long term data to reassure us that there isn’t a problem.

ROBIN: Our next caller is from Estonia – Jaak Aru, What are your feelings about this issue?

JAAK ARU: So far we have been talking about creation and evolution. In other words, either God created or Nature developed all the species on the earth. From this year on, starting with Dolly the sheep, we do have proof there is a third subject which is able to develop species – that is human beings.

ROBIN: Dora Samuel is calling from Berlin. Dora, do you agree that strong legislation and labelling are needed?

DORA SAMUEL: Well, I_m against genetic engineering because it_s an invention as dangerous as the invention of the atomic bomb and the hydrogen bomb.

ROBIN: They killed a lot of people when they were used in Japan. Are you saying that genetic manipulation can kill people in the same way?

DORA SAMUEL: We don_t know because even the engineers who have invented this thing don_t know what_s going to happen in the future. They have no idea of the side effects.

1. Should genetic engineering be stopped?
2. What are its positive and negative aspects?
3. What is the opinion of the Catholic Church on this topic?

 

Halloween

Vocabulary – Halloween  . Quiz – Halloween

Hangman – Halloween

Halloween, the time of pumpkins, candies, ghosts, witches and much more, is annually celebrated on 31 October.
That’s the night before All Saints Day. Its origins date back thousands of years to the Celtic festival of Samhaim or The Feast of the Sun, a most significant holiday of the Celtic year. This day marked the end of summer but also the season of darkness as well as the beginning of the New Year on 1 November.

Druids in Britain and Ireland would light bonfires, dance around them and offer sacrifices of animal and crops. The fires were also intended to give warmth to the households and to keep free from evil spirits. Through the ages these practices changed.

The Irish hollowed out turnips, placed a light inside to keep away the bad and stingy Jack. As the legend says, Jack was a man who tricked the devil and after Jack had died he was allowed neither in heaven nor in hell. With a lantern in his hand he began to search for a resting place on Earth. This was the original Jack-o-Lantern. Since Halloween came to America from Ireland (Scotland and Wales) people used pumpkins because they were bigger and easier to hollow out than turnips.

During the centuries the cultures have added their own elements to the way Halloween is celebrated.

Children love the custom of dressing-up in fancy costumes and going from door-to-door yelling “Trick-or-Treat” . Adults instead join spooky parties which are nearly held all over the cities and villages on that special evening. A spooky decoration, games and “frightening food” are nuts and bolts for a Halloween party your friends won’t soon forget