A federal bill permitting the filing of homicide charges on the attacker of a pregnant woman who causes the death of her fetus is dividing Canadians.

House Bill C-484 has become a debate between pro-life groups and pro-choice groups. Advocates from both side aired their sentiments Thursday through demonstrations in front of the Nova Scotia legislature

Researchers of McGill University have found an HIV test using saliva to be effective in preventing pregnant Indian mothers from passing the virus to their newborns.

The OraQuick test, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2004, lets doctors know within 20 minutes if a laboring pregnant mom is HIV-infected. The early detection of infection allows doctors to immediately administer anti-retroviral drugs to HIV-exposed infants, a method proven effective in preventing infection of babies from the virus that causes AIDS

Nearly all babies born to HIV positive mothers can be free from the deadly disease if appropriate treatment is given to a woman in her pregnancy, a new study shows.

Nearly 99 percent of babies were born uninfected if recommended interventions were followed during pregnancy, University College London said in a study

Canada has been struggling the past few years with its infant mortality rate that high-risk pregnant Canadian women are being sent to the U.S. to ensure safe deliveries and newborn survival.

In 1990 Canada was sixth ranking in low infant mortality rate, down to 25th spot in 2005, on the same ranking as Estonia with 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births

Even when pregnant, more than 52 percent of French women still drink alcohol, a new study found. The study also found that the majority of these women don't know that drinking alcohol isn't good for their baby's health.

"Our results surprised us because we didn't think that the women were so massively going to answer that they were so ignorant of the dangers of alcohol during pregnancy," Lead researcher Ingrid de Chazeron of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire told Medical News Today