LIFEalerts 25 February 2015

Abortion No news today Alternative Medicine No news today Euthanasia France – Parliament begins debate on euthanasia UK – Lloyd-Webber: I wanted to join Dignitas and die Canada – Assisted-suicide ban lifted in Canada South Africa – 1 in 5 South African teens wants to die HIV/AIDS No news today Homosexuality USA – Judges Must Recuse Themselves on Homosexual Marriage Case USA – What Parents Should Know About Giving Hormones To Trans Kids USA – Reparative therapy ban fails in Virginia UK – Sexual trauma associated with fisting and recreational drugs IVF & Surrogacy Germany – Sperm donation no longer anonymous Medical Ethics UK – Near dead enough is not good enough USA – Bioethicists push “3-parent embryos” in the US Pedophilia No news today Pornography

UK – No more naked women in the Sun newspaper

Iceland – Government wants to ban internet porn

Prostitution &Trafficking South Africa – New Draft National Strategic health plan for Prostitutes USA – More arrests of pimps and johns In prostitution battle South Africa – Experts Seek Ways to Combat Human Trafficking Stem Cells & Cloning No news today Substance Abuse USA – Research: E-Cigarette Exposure Impairs Immune Responses USA – Colorado issues 188-page report on marijuana health studies South Africa – Ecstacy: South Africa’s Most underrated drug

Abortion

No news today

Alternative Medicine

No news today

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Euthanasia

France – Parliament begins debate on euthanasia The French parliament opened a long-awaited debate on euthanasia this week. President Francois Hollande and the prime minister, Manuel Valls, both support liberalising the law at least to allow terminal sedation “to allow people to depart peacefully and without suffering”. Terminal sedation is seen by many as active euthanasia, Passive euthanasia is when the disease is the causes the patients death, and active euthanasia is where the doctor causes the death of the patient what ever means are used. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11300 UK – Lloyd-Webber: I wanted to join Dignitas and die In an interview, Lord Lloyd-Webber disclosed how he was tempted to end his own life last summer as he struggled with pain after 14 operations. “I went through a moment of deep depression — that awful moment when you think that you must find a way out,” he said. “I actually got the forms for Dignitas.” “With hindsight, it was stupid and ridiculous, but I couldn’t think what to do.” “What concerns me, and I suspect many others, is what floodgates would [this measure] open? “Does it create a culture where older people are a burden … I am totally unsure.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10974783/Lloyd-Webber-I-considered-Dignitas-but-am-set-to-oppose-assisted-dying.html Canada – Assisted-suicide ban lifted in Canada A Canadian supreme court’s ruling struck down the criminal ban on doctors assisting in the deaths of mentally competent but suffering and “irremediable” patients. And It gave the Canadian government 12 months to draft a replacement law. http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/02/10/government-not-likely-to-invoke-notwithstanding-clause-over-assisted-suicide-ruling-peter-mackay/ South Africa – 1 in 5 South African teens wants to die All threats of suicide should be taken seriously, said the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag). Marking Teen Suicide Prevention Week Sadag revealed that 1 in 5 youths attempts suicide, the 10 to 19 age group is one of the highest risk groups for suicide, 38.3{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} felt so hopeless they needed to see a doctor, 29.1{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} had attempted suicide and needed medical treatment, 9.5{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of all non-natural teen deaths are due to suicide, and that fewer than 1{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of mental hospital beds are allocated for children and adolescents. In South Africa hanging is the most frequently employed method of suicide, followed by shooting, gassing and burning. http://www.health24.com/Medical/Depression/News/1-in-5-South-African-teens-want-to-die-20150217

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HIV/AIDS & STI’s

No news today

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Homosexuality

USA – Judges Must Recuse Themselves on Homosexual Marriage Case The Supreme Court said it will decide if it will allow Americans to define the purpose and rules of marriage. Supreme Court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elana Kagan must recuse themselves from the upcoming decision on homosexual marriage though because both have performed same-sex wedding ceremonies. Thus any justice who has tipped his hand on how he would vote on homosexual marriage, any justice who has taken sides, any justice whose ability to be objective on the matter in question, has a legal, moral, ethical and professional duty to withdraw. http://cowgernation.com/2015/01/21/ginsburg-and-kagan-must-recuse-themselves-on-gay-marriage-case/ USA – What Parents Should Know About Giving Hormones To Trans Kids The United States Endocrine Society says that cross-gender hormones should not be used on kids under the age of 16. Lisa Brinkmann, a clinical psychologist specializing in gender issues in Dublin, Ireland, says about cross-gender hormones, “We are talking about changes that impact the kids’ reproductive systems for a lifetime. We have to be sure it’s the right thing to do. Cross-sex hormones have irreversible effects on fertility. There’s no going back.” A September 2014 report from the Hastings Center by Jack Drescher and Jack Pula says a diagnosis of gender dysphoria in childhood “does not inevitably continue into adulthood” the majority of the time. The entire basis for treatment is what the kids say. http://thefederalist.com/2015/02/02/what-parents-should-know-about-giving-hormones-to-trans-kids/ USA – Reparative therapy ban fails in Virginia Democratic lawmakers pushed for bans on sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) for minors – often referred to as “reparative therapy” by counselors who provide the service. Republican legislators in Virginia swiftly killed the proposal, with committees in both the Senate and House of Delegates refusing to send it forward for consideration. Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia, said the bill would have taken the power to make private health care decisions out of the hands of families and give it to the government instead. Virginia law is clear that parents have a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the care of their children, a right this legislation clearly violates. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/reparative-therapy-ban-back-on-the-table-in-illinois-fails-in-virginia UK – Sexual trauma associated with fisting and recreational drugs There is a rising trend in high risk sexual behavior among men who have sex with men (MSM), with concomitant use of recreational drugs. Activities include fisting and unprotected anal intercourse with a partner who is HIV serodiscordant or of unknown status. HIV positive MSM have recently attended the Kobler Outpatient Clinic as a result of complications secondary to fisting. These patients highlight concerns regarding unsafe sexual behavior in some MSM, under the influence of drugs which increase the duration of sexual activity. They sustained significant injuries but were unaware of the symptoms of colorectal perforation, despite engaging in fisting for many years. http://www.hawaii.edu/hivandaids/Sexual_Trauma_Associated_with_Fisting_and_Recreational_Drugs.pdf

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IVF &Surrogacy

Germany – Sperm donation no longer anonymous The days of anonymous sperm donation are over in Germany as the Supreme Court settled a patchwork of decisions and ruled that children of any age may request the identity of their biological father. “There is no specific minimum age necessary for the child,” the judges said. The only limitation is that the parent must be able to prove that the child wants to know and that the effect of disclosure upon the donor must be taken into account. However the decision stated that the right of children to know the identity of their fathers normally outweighs the donors’ right to privacy. The case was brought by two sisters who had been denied access to their sperm donor father’s identity. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11309

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Medical Ethics

UK – Near dead enough is not good enough Doctors in a hospital in Bremen had already made an incision in the abdomen of a man who was presumed to be dead when they discovered that the deceased donor was still alive according to organ transplant protocols. The operation was immediately terminated – and the brain-damaged patient died. The incident is being investigated by the German Medical Association. The Süddeutsche Zeitung (the source for the Daily Mail) was told that “it is quite possible that the man’s brain was so damaged that he would not have been able to return to a normal life, but as long as he was not properly diagnosed as brain dead, nobody knows.” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2906601/Surgeons-harvesting-organs-deceased-patient-stop-discovering-wasn-t-completely-brain-dead.html#ixzz3OdtZwdoc USA – Bioethicists push “3-parent embryos” in the USA After “three-parent embryos” were legalized in Britain some American bioethicists have immediately promoted the technique. Art Caplan argues that it will prevent the birth of disabled children. He says that it is almost certainly safe, will not involve three parents, and that it is not eugenics and will not lead to eugenics. “Transplanting mitochondria is not going to be the method used to create enhanced babies. Traits like height, intelligence, strength, balance, and vision don’t reside in the battery part of our cells.” And Robert Klitzman of Columbia university argues that, “As biotechnology continues to advance and improve human health, we need to beware of applying frightening metaphors when they do not fit, and only distort and mislead.” http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11323

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Pedophilia

No news today

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Pornography

UK – No more naked women in the Sun newspaper Readers who picked up the Sun on Monday 14 found the famed British tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch was missing a certain something. After more than four decades of public enjoyment and outrage, the paper  will no longer publish photos of topless women on Page 3. Labour member of parliament Clare Short introduced a bill to end Page 3 but it failed. She subsequently received five thousand letters before she stopped counting. No powerful lobby had asked anyone to write, but thousands of women put pen to paper to express their views and fears. As a result of this, topless women disappeared from the Sun. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/20/no-more-naked-women-on-page-3-of-the-sun-tabloid-owned-by-rupert-murdoch/ Iceland – Government wants to ban internet porn Calling explicit online images a threat to children, Iceland is working on banning Internet pornography. According to Halla Gunnarsdottir, an adviser to the nation’s Interior Minister, there is a strong consensus building in Iceland and there have many experts from educationalists to the police, and those who work with children behind the move. Two years ago, the nation’s parliament banned strip clubs, saying they violate the rights of the women who work in them. They also banned the printing and distribution of pornography for years, but those laws haven’t been updated to include the Web. Iceland would become the first Western democracy to try and block pornography online. http://www.worldbulletin.net/world/139477/iceland-wants-to-ban-internet-porn

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Prostitution & Trafficking

South Africa – New Draft National Strategic health plan for Prostitutes Released by the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), this 49-page preliminary document outlines plans to, for instance, increase HIV and tuberculosis (TB) prevention, care and treatment among sex workers and families. The strategic plan outlines three main aims, mainly: Increase coverage and access to comprehensive HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STI) and TB prevention, treatment, care, support and related services for sex worker and their sexual partners, families and clients; Reduce violence and human rights abuses experienced by sex workers; and Foster enabling health and related systems to enable sex workers to realize good health and their Constitutional Rights. Draft National Sex Work Strategy January 2015

http://www.health-e.org.za/2015/01/16/strategy-draft-national-strategic-plan-hiv-prevention-care-treatment-sex-workers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=strategy-draft-national-strategic-plan-hiv-prevention-care-treatment-sex-workers

USA – More arrests of pimps and johns In prostitution battle In the latest sign of shifting tactics to fight prostitution across Orange County in California, state data shows local law enforcement agencies are arresting fewer women and more men involved in the sex trade. More agencies are coming to view prostitutes as victims of abuse rather than criminals, and are making greater efforts to connect them with counseling rather than jail cells. Susan Kang Schroeder, Rackauckas’ chief of staff said of the prostitutes, “They’re being actively used and sold like commodities, and if we’re able to go beyond going after the girl and really deal with the modern-day slavery against girls, we may be able to eradicate this type of crime.” http://www.ocregister.com/articles/county-647769-arrests-prostitution.html South Africa – Experts Seek Ways to Combat Human Trafficking While government has put in place legislative measures to prevent human trafficking, South Africa continues to be a source and destination country for trafficking. A discussion to be held will bring together various experts, law makers and role players including, national and provincial representatives from the Justice Crime Prevention and the Security Cluster, International Organisation for Migration, the United Nations office on Drugs and Crime and faith-based organisations. to develop a National Action Plan to fight human trafficking in the country.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201502190434.html

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Stem Cells & Cloning

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Substance Abuse

USA – Research: E-Cigarette Exposure Impairs Immune Responses In a study with mice, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers have found that e-cigarettes compromise the immune system in the lungs and generate some of the same potentially dangerous “free radical” chemicals previously thought only to be found in traditional nicotine cigarettes. E-cigarettes are an emerging public health concern, as they gain popularity among current and former smokers as well as those who have never smoked, including teenagers. Both cigarettes and e-cigarettes are sources of nicotine. “Our findings suggest that e-cigarettes are not neutral in terms of the effects on the lungs,” notes senior author Shyam Biswal, PhD, a professor at the Bloomberg School. http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/629188/?sc=dwtn http://time.com/3693530/marijuana-health-colorado-pregnant/ USA – Colorado issues 188-page report on marijuana health studies Colorado has released a sweeping report warning about cannabis health risks, from its effect on drivers, asthma, impaired memory, psychotic symptoms, cancer rates and birth defects. The Colorado Health Departments 188-page review was ordered by the state legislature to clarify often contradictory health information on marijuana. A panel of doctors also found preliminary evidence to suggest that legalization in the state had increased hospitalizations, emergency room visits and poison center calls related to marijuana. “The committee’s work represents one of the first and most comprehensive reviews to assess the strength of credible scientific literature available today regarding marijuana use,” said Dr. Larry Wolk, the executive director and chief medical officer at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. http://www.thecannabist.co/2015/02/02/marijuana-research-colorado-health-effects-asthma-cancer-stoned-driving/28946/ USA – Cannabis during Pregnancy: The Effects on the Baby Due to the fact that THC can be metabolized by the baby during breastfeeding and can be passed on to the unborn baby through the placenta, here are some important scientific facts from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) report: Maternal use of cannabis during pregnancy is associated with decreased growth, attention problems, decreased IQ scores, impaired cognitive function, increased risk of heart, still birth, depression, delinquent behavior and decreased academic ability. “These are apparent from birth as well as physical, neurocognitive & mental health findings throughout childhood & adolescence.” According to the CDPHE there is no safe amount of cannabis use during pregnancy & there are negative effects regardless of when it is used while pregnant. https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/DC_MJ-Monitoring-Health-Concerns-Related-to-Marijuana-in-CO-2014.pdf South Africa – Ecstacy: South Africa’s Most underrated drug Ecstasy has made the biggest impact of all illicit drugs in South Africa since the early 1990’s. It is a drug that is synonymous with parties and nightclubs and is seen as a safe drug. Short term effects of overdose include; abnormal body temperature, seizures, acute kidney and liver failure. Long term effects include; psychological dependence, major depression, anxiety, panic disorders, paranoia, increased impulsiveness, sleep disorders and psychosis. MDMA has a neuro-toxic effect on the serotonin neurons which play a role in regulating mood, aggression, sleep, appetite, and cognition. Due to the lack of physical addictive qualities ecstasy is often overlooked and under reported on. Many people go clubbing every weekend and ecstasy is considered part of the party! http://www.health-e.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/e355f9743c0c09557df86918e6a1c93b.pdf http://www.health24.com/Mental-Health/Drugs/Ecstasy-20120721

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Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International

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