NEWSWORTHY
Japan to ease restrictions on types of facilities conducting prenatal tests
The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology has drafted a plan to ease restrictions on the types of medical facilities that can provide noninvasive prenatal testing to detect genetic abnormalities in unborn babies. The draft plan, drawn up by the ethics committee of the society, ...
LDP to propose allowing lawmakers to vote online during maternity-related absences
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party plans to propose allowing House of Representatives members to vote online if they are absent due to pregnancy or childbirth, LDP officials said Thursday. An LDP project team discussing Lower House reforms Thursday approved a plan to introduce online voting ...
U.S. Supreme Court blocks restrictive Louisiana abortion law while litigation continues
A divided U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday stopped a Louisiana law imposing strict regulations on abortion clinics from going into effect in its first major test on abortion since the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy last summer. The court on a 5-4 vote granted an ...
Stanford University has started a review of interactions that some faculty members had with He Jiankui, the Chinese scientist who claims to have helped make gene-edited babies. Several Stanford professors have said they knew or strongly suspected He wanted to try gene editing on embryos ...
In federal crackdown, U.S. charges 20 in Chinese birth tourism business
Dongyuan Li's business was called You Win USA, and authorities say she coached pregnant Chinese women on how to get into the United States to deliver babies who would automatically enjoy all the benefits of American citizenship. Over two years, the now-41-year-old raked in millions ...
Japanese study suggests genetic screening can help reduce miscarriages
Clinical studies on pre-implantation genetic screening, or PGS, of eggs fertilized in vitro has suggested that the screening can reduce the miscarriage rate, the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology said. But the rate of childbirth may remain unchanged after PGS, according to the society. The ...
Japan to nix 'pregnancy tax' for hospital visits following public backlash
The government will stop charging extra for hospital visits by expectant mothers from next month amid criticism that the fee amounts to a tax on pregnancy.
Government to freeze controversial medical fee for pregnant women, Japan's health minister says
The government will temporarily suspend an extra medical fee that pregnant women were required to pay out of pocket to see doctors, health minister Takumi Nemoto said Friday. The ministry plans to inform medical institutions of the suspension as soon as possible, probably in January, ...
Florida woman reunited with daughter she thought died at birth 69 years ago
An 88-year-old American woman has been reunited with the daughter she was told had died at birth 69 years ago, The New York Times reported. Genevieve Purinton of Tampa, Florida, 69-year-old Connie Moultroup of Richmond, Vermont, for the first time this month, the newspaper said. Purinton ...
Retired table tennis star Ai Fukuhara announced Wednesday she is pregnant and expecting her second child next spring. "I have been blessed with a second child," the 30-year-old Fukuhara said on her official blog, adding she wants to contribute to the future of children, as ...
For 25 years, pregnancy and parenting magazines Tamago Club and Hiyoko Club have served as a platform for new mothers, giving them a place to share their concerns and support one another. In a similar vein, some groups have launched services connecting new moms ...
Japanese and U.S. researchers say allergy shots for pregnant women may protect babies for life
A group of researchers based in Japan and the United States believe that administering allergy shots to women during pregnancy could prevent their unborn children from developing allergies after birth and throughout their lives. The researchers believe the special shots, which prevent offspring from producing ...
