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A recent New York Times investigation found that some prenatal blood tests have alarmingly high false positive results for genetic disorders that frequently result in the abortion of unborn children, and pro-life leaders say they are deeply disturbed. The Times found that among five common DNA tests performed on fetuses, positive results are wrong around 85% of the time, yet a positive test result can amount to a death sentence for an unborn child. While the Times report does not delve deeper into screening for Down syndrome, pro-life advocates stressed that those tests, too, can be unreliable.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250012/prenatal-tests-wrong-times-abortion
The Missionaries of Charity, founded by St. Teresa of Calcutta, have begun to ration their distribution of food and other items to the poor in the wake of the Indian government’s decision that they and other non-profits are no longer eligible to receive donations from abroad. The missionaries normally help some 600 people at their Kolkata motherhouse and their children’s orphanage Shishu Bhavan. While foreign donations are not allowed at the moment, donations from within India help some work continue. A spokeswoman for the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata said last week that funding for the missionaries’ work would not be affected immediately due to local support.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250015/in-india-missionaries-of-charity-ration-food-after-government-blocks-foreign-funds
French officials introduced a plan January 1st to offer free contraception to women under 25 years of age. French officials said that the change would apply to three million young women out of a population of 67.4 million people. Contraception is already free for girls under 18. Along with Sweden, France has the highest total fertility rate of the 27 member states of the European Union, with 1.84 live births per woman, which is still below replacement level.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250010/ireland-to-follow-france-in-offering-free-contraception-to-women-under-25
Today, the Church honors St. John Neumann, a native of Bohemia who emigrated to New York to serve Catholics in America. Neumann continued his missionary work until he was elected bishop of Philadelphia in 1852, and later became the first American bishop to be beatified.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-john-nepomucene-neumann-106