麻豆社

Should you have children if it means passing on disabilities?听 That was the question that actress Julie Fernandez explored in last night鈥檚 documentary on Radio 4. She has brittle bone disease and has decided she won鈥檛 have children as they鈥檇 have a 50/50 chance of inheriting it. It was a painful choice 鈥� at odds with Julie鈥檚 strongly-felt beliefs about disability equality.听 Other disabled people decide they do want听a child who will not inherit their condition and some undergo听Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis, a type of IVF. It offers many disabled parents their only chance of having the healthy baby they long for.听 What are the rules and regulations surrounding the treatment? Is it right to eradicate certain disabilities or is technology moving too fast and too far?

Jenni talks to Juliet Tizzard the Director of Strategy at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority () who regulate treatments and clinics. Dr. David King from Human Genetics Alert and听Colleen Lynch from Care Fertility.

One of the most memorable moments of this year鈥檚 Winter Olympics in Sochi was 鈥檚 gold medal in the skeleton bobsleigh event. Lizzy had only taken up the sport six years earlier, when she was selected through a talent programme run by UK Sport called Girls4Gold which identified women who had the potential to do well in the sport. Now have launched another programme 鈥� Power to Podium 鈥� which is looking for male and female athletes who are uniquely suited to take up skeleton. The selection process is underway now and reporter听Louise Adamson has been to the latest session at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre in East London.听Lizzy Yarnold was there to encourage the athletes taking part and pass on some of her experience.听Louise speaks to her and to Dr Stewart Laing of UK Sport and some of the women听hoping that one day they too might win gold.

Rachel Howzell Hall knows Los Angeles like the back of her hand and she wants to show a side of the city which doesn鈥檛 often make it to the silver screen. Rachel grew up in southwest LA, the backdrop for her new book, 鈥楲and of Shadows鈥�. This is a place known locally as 鈥淭he Jungle鈥� where drugs and gang crime are rife. In this novel homicide detective Elouise Norton returns to her old neighbourhood to investigate the murder of a young girl. Along the way Elouise uncovers links with the unsolved disappearance of her sister 30 years ago.

Jenni talks to Rachel听about how听the book听was inspired by her own experiences of growing up in the gang lands of LA.

'Land of the Shadows' is published by Titan Books on 23 May.

More than 100 women have been named on the Sunday Times Rich List of Britain鈥檚 wealthiest 1,000 people 鈥� but just two of those made their own fortunes: Tamara Mellon co-founder of Jimmy Choo Shoes, and author JK Rowling.听 So why so few?听听 Is it that women are reluctant entrepreneurs or is it that they are just not making enough money to appear on the list? Kate Lester and Deb Leary both run their own companies. They tell Jenni what it takes to be a successful听female entrepreneur.