A disabled woman, who became a pro-life campaigner after hearing that a
doctor wanted to euthanise a baby girl born with the same conditions as her,
has died at the age of 58. Alison Davies suffered from hydrocephalus and spina
bifida and was wheelchair-bound, but still managed to lead a group called No
less Human, which campaigned to promote a positive view of disability.
Northern Ireland’s justice minister has said he is going to consult on
changing the province’s abortion laws to allow women carrying babies with
“fatal fetal abnormalities” to have a termination. This is already considered a
valid reason for an abortion in England and Wales under the Abortion Act 1967,
but this Act does not apply in Northern Ireland. A critic has pointed out that,
even though Northern Irish women can obtain abortions in England or Wales (and
96% of those who had abortions in 2012 took this option), 90% of Irish women
who have babies with abnormalities choose to keep the babies, while in England
and Wales, 90% of such babies are aborted.
This implies that the change in the law might lead to a change in public
attitudes to accept abortion for non-life-threatening abnormalities, as has
happened in England and Wales, where babies have been aborted for having Down’s
syndrome, a cleft lip, or a club foot.
One of Prime Minister’s special advisors, who played a key role in
assisting the Prime Minister on gay marriage and other LBGT policies, has
announced that he plans to enter into a gay marriage himself. Michael Salter’s
official title is Head of Political Broadcasting, but he is also described as a
Tory party strategist. His partner is the former deputy director for civil
service reform.
Two Christians in New Mexico who
run a photography business were fined $7,000 for declining to photograph a gay
wedding because New Mexico has a law that “any person in a public
accommodation to make a distinction, directly or indirectly, in offering or
refusing to offer its services …to any person because of…sexual
orientation.” They appealed all the way to New Mexico’s Supreme Court, but one
judge at that court said, “everyone must make concessions in life over matters
that violate their conscience … they may freely live out their faith privately,
but when it comes to running a public business, they will have to ‘pay the
price’ and check their Christian convictions at the door.” The photographers
are now petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court for permission to appeal the case to
that court; their argument is that the law is equivalent to forcing an
African-American photographer to photograph a Ku Klux Klan rally.
A 21 year old British computer
hacker broke into the accounts of fantasy role-playing gamers playing Runescape.
He appropriated and then sold their
virtual potions, weapons and cooking equipment on auction sites and forums. He
made around £3,000 which he used to pay off his real life gambling debts. His
actions cost the game’s makers 1,000 man hours in addressing complaints;
however, he was charged with computer hacking rather than theft because virtual
items cannot be stolen under English law. Magistrates gave him a 12 month
community service order and told him to forfeit his two computers.
In sport, England
will play Australia in the semi-final of the World League of women’s hockey.
Also in sport, the draw for the 2014 football World Cup Finals in Brazil was
made, surrounded by so many dignitaries, security guards and paraphernalia that
organising the draw cost more than the entire World Cup in Italy in 1934 cost. England
were handed a tough draw against Uruguay, Italy and Costa Rica, with the game
against Italy being played in the hottest and most humid of all the World Cup
venues. France, who barely made it to the draw at all and who (some argued) had
already benefited from a decision not to assign them to an unfavourable spot in
the draw on the basis of their low world ranking, ended up with the easiest
group – Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras.
And finally,
a town in Texas has taken an unusual approach to Christmas decorations – they have
set a world record for building the world’s largest gingerbread house. The
house is 60x42 feet and required close to 6 tonnes of ingredients; it apparently
includes 36 million calories. The house has been opened to the public with
admission fees being donated to buy new equipment for the local hospital.
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