Free Republic

Backed by abortion rights groups, three Massachusetts women sued Wal-Mart on Wednesday, accusing the retail giant of violating a state regulation by failing to stock emergency contraception pills in its pharmacies. The lawsuit, filed in state court, seeks to force the company to carry the morning-after pill in its 44 Wal-Marts and four Sam Club stores in Massachusetts. The plaintiffs argued that state policy requires pharmacies to provide all "commonly prescribed medicines." Wal-Mart carries the morning-after pill in Illinois only, where it is required under state law, said Dan Fogleman, a spokesman for Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart. Fogleman said the company...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The sister of Terri Schiavo said Saturday that her family's failed struggle to keep the brain-damaged woman alive shows a society that has "lost sight of the value" of human life. Suzanne Vitadamo, Schiavo's sister, was the featured speaker at the "Stand Up For Life" rally, sponsored by the South Carolina Citizens for Life. About 1,000 people turned out in front of South Carolina's capitol to listen to Vitadamo recount her sister's ordeal. Vitadamo said Schiavo did not want to die and was not terminal when she died of dehydration in March, 13 days after her feeding...

Earlier Diagnosis Allows More Time for Decisions A first-trimester screening test can reliably identify fetuses likely to be born with Down syndrome, providing expectant women with that information much earlier in a pregnancy than current testing allows, according to a major study being released today. The eagerly awaited study of more than 38,000 U.S. women -- the largest ever conducted -- found that the screening method, which combines a blood test with an ultrasound exam, can pinpoint many fetuses with the common genetic disorder 11 weeks after conception. That allows women to decide sooner whether to undergo the riskier follow-up...