Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia-based abortion doctor convicted in 2013 of killing three babies born alive in a case that made national headlines in the US, has died at the age of 85.

Last weekend, the inaugural conference of Health Professionals for Life took place in Tralee. Consultant Obstetrician Trevor Hayes, Maria Steen, Dr. Elizabeth Cullen and Catherina O’Sullivan were among the list of guest speakers at the event attended by doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.

Members of the All Party Oireachtas Life and Dignity Group have called on the Government to establish a dedicated taskforce to tackle what they describe as an “alarming increase” in coercive abortion cases in recent times.

On Tuesday, in a decisive 69-57 vote, Liam McArthur’s assisted suicide Bill was defeated in the Scottish Parliament, representing a major win for opponents of euthanasia after two years of intense debate, in a parliament considered one of the most socially liberal worldwide.

Wednesday’s vote in the House of Lords to decriminalise abortion and legalise it up to birth is a deeply regressive and disingenuous development. The vote passed by 185 votes to 148.

Folk singer Dolores Keane’s passing earlier this week came as very sad news. The internationally acclaimed singer, best known for her stunning rendition of the song Caledonia, died peacefully at her home in Co Galway.

The rate of adverse events from the abortion pill has increased significantly in the US according to a new report from the highly reputable Ethics and Public Policy Centre.

Former Planned Parenthood director Annette Lancaster has spoken about the reasons behind her decision to leave the abortion industry.

Referring this week to the startling statistic that 133 boys are born for every 100 girls in China, Reggie Littlejohn, President of the human rights organisation Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, said: “Such a vast gender imbalance cannot be achieved naturally. It can only be achieved through the sex-selective abortion of baby girls – through gendercide.”