Irish to legalize abortion, Iowa abortion law challenged, Aussie antibodies, and revising “Show Dogs”

A Sad Day for Ireland. Irish voters decided to repeal Amendment 8 to that country’s constitution on Saturday. Amendment Eight banned abortion, so the vote is the first step toward legalized abortion in that country. The outcome was not a surprise, as polls had shown overwhelming support for repeal, and Ireland has taken increasingly secular stands on issues in recent years. The country legalized gay marriage in 2015. However, the vote was still a bitter blow to the pro-life community there. “Today is a sad day for Ireland and for people who believe in genuine human rights,” Cora Sherlock, spokeswoman for the Pro Life Campaign in Ireland, tweeted Saturday as results came out. “The struggle to defend the most vulnerable has not ended today, it’s just changed. Thank you to all the incredible people who worked so hard to protect women and save babies. We fight on.” Iowa AG Cops Out. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller (D) says he will not defend the state's six-week abortion ban. Iowa’s bill provides strong protections for the unborn, but Miller says it goes against his personal beliefs. In a letter to the state legislature Tuesday, Miller’s office said, "The disqualification is based on the Attorney General's determination that he could not zealously assert the state's position because of his core belief that the statute, if upheld, would undermine rights and protections for women.”  The Iowa bill bans abortions after six weeks. The Iowa Department of Justice recommended the appointment of The Thomas More Society, a pro-life legal group, to defend the bill against expected legal challenges from Planned Parenthood and other groups. Giving Life. Australian James Harrison was 14 years old when he needed surgery. The surgery didn’t go as planned, and he needed large transfusions of blood to survive. When Harrison became an adult, he decided to repay the generosity of strangers and started giving blood himself. That’s when Australian scientists made a discovery. Harrison’s blood contained a rare antibody that officials at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service said has saved more than two million babies from a potentially fatal disease. More than three-million doses of a medicine known as Anti-D, made from Harrison’s blood, has been given to mothers since 1967. Today, James Harrison is 81, and doctors are recommending that he no longer give blood, for the sake of his own health. But fear not, researchers are working on a project they call “James in a Jar,” which will synthetically produce the antibodies that the so-called “Man With The Golden Arm” produces naturally. Show Dogs. Producers pulled the movie “Show Dogs” after parents said the story sent the wrong message to children. One of the movie’s canine characters, Max, had to get used to having his private parts touched as part of the preparations for a dog show. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation said these scenes “groomed children for sexual assault.” In response, Global Road Entertainment said it would remove two scenes before re-releasing film. “The company takes these matters very seriously and remains committed to providing quality entertainment for the intended audiences based on the film’s rating,” the company said in a statement posted on the National Center on Sexual Exploitation website.  All the back and forth may end up being much ado about nothing, as the movie is getting bad reviews and is quickly fading at the box office.

05/29/18