Press review of the Americas
In the News: Alabama Supreme Court rules that frozen embryos are children
Scientists have been allowed to manipulate human embryos for research purposes for the first time in the UK. (Illustrative photo) BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images
By: Christophe Paget Follow
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The
New York Times
speaks of “
a real shock wave for the world of reproductive medicine
” and
quotes the White House spokesperson: Karine Jean-Pierre believes that this decision "
will cause exactly the type of chaos that we expected when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade
(removing the federal protection which abortion benefited until then), and opened the way for politicians to impose their views on what is among a family's most personal decisions
. Each year, 2% of births in the United States involve in vitro fertilization, writes
USA Today
: several eggs are retrieved, fertilized and implanted to start a pregnancy. However, writes the local news site
al.com
in its editorial, "
Alabama has today become so 'pro-life' that people who desperately want to be parents might not have children
."
Because this decision poses many questions for future parents as well as for doctors: questions, writes
USA Today
, "
about
what will happen to the embryos which have not been used and which are put aside: will the authorities can order them to be implanted in parents who do not want them, can they file charges for child abuse, and what will happen if a doctor implants embryos that do not develop not ?
» And even, estimates in
al.com
the president of the National Infertility Association, “
if the embryos used in IVF are children, human beings, can we freeze human beings? And who bears responsibility?
".
Faced with this gigantic uncertainty, doctors do not know if they will have to change their fertilization procedures, writes the
Washington Post
; couples flock to online support groups, wondering if they should transfer their embryos out of state; and lawyers warn that divorce agreements requiring frozen embryos to be destroyed are (possibly) null and void. “
The biggest and most immediate question
,” writes
al.com
, “
is whether fertility clinics will be able to continue to exist in Alabama
,” and once that question is answered, “
how to attract or retain talented people in a state
such as ours
”.
ELN freezes Colombia peace talks
In Colombia, the guerrillas announce the freezing of peace talks with the government. According to a press release from the ELN, taken up by
El Espectador
, "
the Colombian government, through the peace commission, the armed forces and the police are violating the pact decided during the negotiations
." The guerrillas criticize in particular the establishment of a regional dialogue with the department of Narino, in the southwest of the country, outside the talks. In
El Colombiano
, the governor of Narino believes that “
national dialogues are one thing, but territorializing peace is another
.” For its part, reports
Semana
, the government speaks of "
unilateral decisions
" of the ELN leading to "
unnecessary crises (...) which prolong the armed confrontation and the violence suffered by the communities, and weaken the confidence of society Colombian in her desire for peace
.
In Argentina, the Milei government decrees a 30% increase in the minimum wage
In March, the minimum wage will increase to 202,800 pesos, or $230. But in fact, this 30% increase decreed by the government “
implies a loss of 30% compared to the month of December
”, calculates
Pagina 12
, due to inflation. The meeting of the Salary Council last week ended in failure, recalls
La Nacion
. The unions had asked for an 85% increase in salaries, the company representatives had refused it – without making a proposal on their side, notes
Pagina 12
– and for its part the government did not “
promote the debate or offer a mediation
”. The CGT had also placed the blame on the Milei government, writes
La Nacion
: “
in these times of extremely high inflation (more than 250% per year), establishing a social floor is necessary and urgent
”.
Tribute to Paco de Lucia
This Sunday, it will be ten years since the great Spanish musician and reinventor of flamenco Paco de Lucia died.
El Tiempo
recounts how during one of his trips, the guitarist stopped in front of the salt cathedral of Zipaquira, inside the salt mines of
Zipaquirá
, in the Savannah of Bogota. Charmed, the musician composed a theme to pay homage to its beauty, “Monasterio de Sal”, the salt monastery. A story that will be remembered this weekend during the launch of the second Flamenco Biennial of Bogota, at the Teatro Colsubsidio, an edition dedicated to Paco de Lucía.
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