Childbirth riskier for Jehovah’s Witnesses. Pregnant women who are Je-hovah’s Witnesses are six times more likely to die during childbirth and three times more likely to have serious complications than the general population, a new study reveals. All of the cases of death examined by the researchers were caused by major obstetric hemorrhage, according to the study by the National Maternal Mortality Committee of the Netherlands Society of Obstetrics & Gynecology. The refusal of red blood transfusions by the women on religious grounds was found to be an important factor in the deaths. The Dutch report, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, examined all cases of maternal mortality in the Netherlands between 1983 and 2006, and all cases of serious maternal morbidity between 2004 and 2006.
British tribunal says adoption agencies must accept gay couples. A British legal tribunal has ruled Roman Catholic and other adoption charities must accept same-sex couples as adoptive parents or risk going out of business. The decision by the Charity Tribunal means some agencies, including Catholic Care charity, will have to choose between their religious principles or abandoning their adoption services. The tribunal is an independent body set up to rule on decisions of the Charity Commission, the legal regulator of charities in England and Wales. Much of the legal fight is rooted in the British government’s Sexual Orientation Regulations of 2007, which state no organization or company may discriminate against gays.
South Korean churches urge food aid for North Korea. A South Korean group of churches is urging its member congregations and organizations to join a campaign to give North Korean children milk and bread “without any precondition.” The National Council of Churches in Korea said the campaign is the result of discussions with its North Korean counterpart, the Korean Christian Federation. The campaign will send 20-kilogram packs of flour and 8,000 cans of powdered milk. “Any humanitarian assistance from South Korea has completely ceased because of the stringent relationship between the North and the South and 330,000 tons of expected assistance from the U.S.A. was stopped” because of the nuclear situation, the South Korean churches said.
France to consider banning burqas. Five years after France banned Muslim girls from wearing headscarves in public schools, the government has launched a probe into another Muslim garment — all-covering burqas or niqabs — that may lead to a similar injunction in public spaces. In July, a 32-member parliamentary commission will begin a six-month investigation into the burqa in France — particularly whether it clashes with the country’s fiercely secular creed and violates the dignity of the women who wear it. The burqa or niqab — head-to-toe coverings that hide the face except for a narrow slit for the eyes — are rarities on French streets. Nonetheless, the issue has sparked hot debate, dividing not only the center-right government but also France’s estimated 5 to 6 million-strong Muslim community, Europe’s largest.
Compiled from Religion News Service