LIFEalerts 24 July 2015

Abortion	USA – Anti-abortion group says Planned Parenthood sells fetal organs
Alternative Medicine	No news today
Euthanasia	Belgium – Life? I’m not really that into it any more!Netherlands – Dutch pediatricians back euthanasia for under-12’s USA – The Economist to campaign on Belgian model of euthanasia Colombia – Country opens its doors to euthanasia Netherlands – Pressure on patients is cause for concern
HIV/AIDS	No news today
Homosexuality	No news today
IVF & Surrogacy	Australia – Suppression of Clinic Success RatesSpain – Sharp drop in live births for women in their early 40’s
Medical Ethics	France – Senate overrules assembly to reject ‘deep sleep’ billUSA – What should we do with frozen embryos? USA – Planned Parenthood offers aborted fetus body parts
Pedophilia	UK – 750,000 men want child sex
Pornography	Indonesia – More children get caught up in pornography and cybercrimeUSA – ‘Tsunami’ of pornography shaping next generation
Prostitution &Trafficking	India – 13-year-old girl ‘sold for sex’ by parentsUSA – Shutting down ads for prostitutes China – Cameras used to combat prostitution South Africa – Human trafficking in SA is a statistical nightmare
Stem Cells & Cloning	No news today
Substance Abuse	USA – Heroin Use Skyrockets in the United States

  Abortion   USA – Anti-abortion group says Planned Parenthood sells fetal organs According to the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), Dr. Deborah Nucatola, senior director of medical services at Planned Parenthood, admitted to supplying intact body parts by using partial-birth abortions. The CMP describes itself as a group of citizen journalists dedicated to monitoring and reporting on medical ethics and advances. David Daleiden led the undercover project and urged elected officials to get involved. “Planned Parenthood’s criminal conspiracy to make money off of aborted baby parts reaches to the very highest levels of their organization,” Daleiden said in a statement. “Elected officials must listen to the public outcry for Planned Parenthood to be held accountable to the law and for our tax dollars to stop underwriting this barbaric abortion business.” http://www.kptv.com/story/29554551/anti-abortion-group-releases-secret-video-says-planned-parenthood-sells-fetal-organs   Alternative Medicine   No news today   <Back to Top>   Euthanasia   Belgium – Life? I’m not really that into it any more! News flash from Brussels, the nihilism capital of the world! A 24-year-old healthy woman named Laura will soon be euthanized. The reason? ‘Leven, dat is niets voor mij’ – ‘life, that’s not for me’. And Belgian doctors are happy to accommodate her, even though she is young and even though she is healthy. If she’s not really into life, why not check out the alternative? She grew up in a dysfunctional household. Her father was drunk and abusive and her mother left him when she was only a year old. By the age of six she was already thinking of suicide, and because of that three psychiatrists have approved her application for euthanasia. http://www.mercatornet.com/careful/view/life-im-not-really-that-into-it-any-more/16392   Netherlands – Dutch pediatricians back euthanasia for under twelve’s The NVK (the Dutch Pediatricians’ Association) recommended that deliberate termination of life be available when palliative care is ineffective. “We feel that an arbitrary age limit such as 12 should be changed,” said Professor Eduard Verhagen, of Groningen University, a long-time champion of euthanasia for children. “Each child’s ability to ask to die should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.” Belgium has already removed the age limit on euthanasia and the Netherlands is lagging behind. “If a child under 12 satisfies the same conditions, pediatricians are currently powerless. It’s time to address this problem,” said Professor Verhagen. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/dutch-paediatricians-back-euthanasia-for-under-12s/11502   USA – The Economist to campaign on Belgian model of euthanasia The Economist, the world’s most influential news magazine, has a new editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton-Beddoes – and one of the very first issues on which she has chosen to campaign is the legalization of euthanasia. This week’s cover story is “The right to die: why assisted suicide should be legal”. It is illustrated by a snuffed candle with a smoking wick. Minton-Beddoes says that there are three reasons for her stand. First, assisted dying is one of the great moral questions of our time, especially in the light of ageing populations around the world. Second, it fits neatly into The Economist’s philosophy of promoting autonomy and reducing government meddling. And third, public opinion can truly make a difference. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/the-economist-to-campaign-on-belgian-model-of-euthanasia/11501   Colombia – Country opens its doors to euthanasia Colombian officials have approved the country’s first legal death by euthanasia. After a week-long legal battle, 79-year old Ovidio Gonzalez exercised his “right to die” at a medical clinic, ending his battle with terminal throat cancer. Colombia became the first Latin American country and one of several countries worldwide to legalize assisted suicide in 1997 but the government delayed approving the regulation until this year. http://www.worldmag.com/2015/07/colombia_opens_its_doors_to_euthanasia   The Netherlands – Pressure on patients is cause for concern Around one in five patients who choose euthanasia in the Netherlands act under pressure from family members. Professor Theo Boer based the estimate on his experience of nine years as a member of one of five review committees that assess every euthanasia case, helping to judge around 4,000 case files. Boer also voiced concern about the steady rise in the number of people who choose euthanasia and assisted suicide, which has trebled from around 1,800 in the early years to 4,829 in 2013. http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/country-news/DN-Dutch-Pressure-on-patients-is-cause-for-concern-euthanasia-expert_478335.html   <Back to Top>   HIV/AIDS & STI’s   No news today   <Back to Top>   Homosexuality   No news today   <Back to Top>   IVF &Surrogacy   Australia – Suppression of Clinic Success Rates Each year ANZARD, an initiative of the National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit and the Fertility Society of Australia (FSA), releases generalized figures of success rates in clinics. But individual clinics are not named, leaving would-be-parents in the dark about standards at an individual clinic. This is problematic, considering that individual clinic success rates vary wildly from 4.0{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} to 30.9{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} according to the 2012 report. Year after year, the poor performance of Australia’s worst IVF clinics fails to be explained. Yet these figures raise serious concerns about the practices of the clinics responsible. The issue is that there is no obvious plausible scientific explanation for IVF success rates in the single digits. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/ivf-woes-1-australia/11497   Spain – Sharp drop in live births for women in their early 40’s A new study of declining IVF success rates indicates a drop in live births for women in their early 40s. The 12-year study, led by Dr. Marta Devesa indicated that the chances of women having a baby through IVF was only 1.3{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} in those aged 44 and above, but 24{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} in those aged 38 to 39. Perhaps more significant, the study found that in a 2-year period between 41 and 43, success rates halved. Among 40 to 41-year-olds the IVF success rate was 15.6{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}, which dropped to 6.6{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} in those aged 42 and 43. The results from the study involving 4,195 women and 5,841 IVF cycles were presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/ivf-woes-2-older-women/11498   <Back to Top>   Medical Ethics   France – Senate overrules assembly to reject ‘deep sleep’ bill The French senate has rejected a bill that would legalise the ‘deep sedation’ –of patients with a terminal and incurable illness. The bill which passed by a significant majority in the legislative assembly would allow doctors to put patients into an irreversible comatose state and withdraw life-sustaining treatment. The bill goes even further, stipulating that doctors would be obliged to follow end-of-life instructions from patients regarding terminal sedation and stopping treatments if they agree the practices wouldn’t improve their condition. However, unlike the lower house, the senate was overwhelmingly against the bill, voting it down 196-87. “The Senate’s overwhelming rejection is good news for ethical medicine–at least for now”, wrote bioethicist Wesley Smith. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/french-senators-reject-deep-sleep-bill/11499   USA – What should we do with frozen embryos? Policy analysts are questioning how authorities should deal with hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos that have been abandoned or have a disputed legal status. This appears to be a predominating concern in the US – a lack of regulation in legal jurisdictions across the country. Author KJ Dell’ Antonia cautioned against a tendency to ‘ignore’ embryos that haven’t been needed by parents. “When it comes to unused embryos, loving and supporting those who become children is the easy part – and the happy personal stories almost a distraction from the harder questions about the embryos that are not donated, are abandoned or become the subject of litigation, as well as decisions about how embryos can be created or change hands.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/what-should-we-do-with-frozen-embryos/11494   USA – Planned Parenthood offers aborted fetus body parts A new video shows a Planned Parenthood executive discussing how they provide fetal organs and tissues to researchers opens a debate that split bioethicists decades ago: Is it ethical to use the remains of aborted fetuses for medical research? Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at New York University who previously described fetal tissue research as “the ticking time bomb of medical ethics” summarized the objections to fetal tissue research with three other bioethicists in a 1991 article thus: The transplantation of tissue from an electively aborted fetus is morally inseparable from the morality of elective abortion. Fetal tissue transplant will cause more abortions, change how doctors do abortions and cause women to abort in order to donate. http://www.vox.com/2015/7/14/8964513/planned-parenthood-aborted-fetuses   <Back to Top>   Pedophilia   UK – 750,000 men want child sex An analysis by the National Crime Agency (NCA) reveals that about one in 35 adult males pose a potential risk of being a child abuser or of seeking out child sex images online. Phil Gormley, the deputy director general of the NCA said, ‘We are starting to get a real sense of the scale.’ Among new measures being developed is   software that would alert minors when they are being groomed by men posing as fellow children when talking to them through Facebook or other social networking sites. The figures come from estimates based on academic research and the best available evidence from other sources. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3132884/750-000-British-men-want-sex-children-Shock-new-abuse-statistics.html   <Back to Top>   Pornography   Indonesia – More children get caught up in pornography and cybercrime The number of children involved in pornography and cybercrime cases has increased rapidly over the years, a report from the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) states. Apart from being victims, children have also become perpetrators of sexual violence on the internet, the report adds. KPAI deputy chairperson, Maria Advianti, criticized the government’s attempt to block pornographic sites based only on complaints received despite the fact that millions of new websites appear each day. However, she applauded the existence of a team within the Communication and Information Ministry that actively monitors pornographic sites, although she also urged parents to be cautious when buying smart-phones for their children. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/27/more-children-get-caught-pornography-cybercrime.html

USA – ‘Tsunami’ of pornography shaping next generation

A “tsunami” of obscene, violent and degrading pornography is harming children, women, men and the American culture, a panel of experts told a Capitol Hill briefing recently. Panellists urged members of Congress to see that pornography is linked to sexual victimization, prostitution, human trafficking, child abuse and addiction. Solutions included stepping up enforcement of federal and state adult obscenity laws, which prohibit distribution of hardcore pornography on the internet, on cable/satellite TV, in hotels and motels and in retail shops and by carriers. No-smoking campaigns work to keep tobacco out of lungs; now it’s time to “keep pornography out of their eyes,” said Dr. Donald Hilton, a neurosurgeon and professor at the University of Texas, Health Sciences Centre. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/14/tsunami-of-pornography-misshaping-next-generation-/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}3A+Nation-TheWashingtonTimesAmericasNewspaper+(Nation{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2FPolitics+-+The+Washington+Times)   <Back to Top>   Prostitution & Trafficking   India – 13-year-old girl ‘sold for sex’ by parents Police in the southern Indian state of Kerala have arrested the mother and stepfather of a teenage girl for allegedly forcing her into the prostitution trade for two years. The 13-year-old has been rescued and taken to a state-run shelter home.  She told counselors that her parents would solicit customers and force her to have sex with the men. Her mother has told a news channel that she would charge 3,000 rupees (£30; $47) from a customer for her daughter. Police said they had identified 25 of the 40 customers who had allegedly paid for sex with the teenager. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-33456885   USA – Shutting down ads for prostitutes Law enforcement officials have been unable to shut down Backpage, a website for personals and prostitution ads by legal means so they have resorted to a more indirect approach: asking credit card companies to deny transactions by prostitutes seeking to pay for ads on Backpage. Recently, they succeeded in convincing Visa and Mastercard to stop processing payment for Backpage ads. http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-07-09/shutting-down-ads-sex-workers-might-hurt-them   China – Cameras used to combat prostitution Security cameras installed along streets known as venues of sex sellers and buyers have helped eliminate prostitution. One night a prostitute ran from a ‘red light’ point that was raided by but she was stopped and detained. She   rejected   police allegations that she was a prostitute but after an officer showed her images recorded by the cameras, she could do nothing but admit that she sold sex for a living. After giving her an administrative penalty police set her free with the purpose that she would tell other prostitutes about the presence of such cameras so that they would give up the trade. http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/28148/vietnam-police-use-cameras-to-combat-prostitution-in-red-light-areashttp://tuoitrenews.vn/society/   South Africa – Human trafficking in SA a statistical nightmare Thirty thousand children are trafficked into the country annually as part of the sex trade. The same figure has been used by the Department of Home Affairs to justify recently introduced visa regulations aimed at combating child trafficking.  But this number has been discredited as “exaggerated and unsubstantiated”. A new act aimed at preventing trafficking is expected to be operational in the next few weeks. It defines trafficking to include the recruitment, transportation, sale or harbor of people by means of force, deceit, the abuse of vulnerability and the abuse of power for exploitation. The hidden nature of the crime requires unconventional thinking and flexible methodologies to scope the problem. http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2015/07/16/Human-trafficking-in-South-Africa-an-elusive-statistical-nightmare   <Back to Top>   Stem Cells & Cloning   No news today   <Back to Top>   Substance Abuse   USA – Heroin Use Skyrockets in the United States Heroin-related overdose deaths in the U.S. have increased 300{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} in recent years, and a new report from the federal government shows people who use the drug are not confined to a particular income level or age group. The U.N. found increasing demand for the drug as U.S. states experiment with legalizing or decriminalizing it. From 2002 to 2013, heroin overdose deaths in the country increased by 286{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration. More than 8,200 people died of a heroin-related overdose in 2013 alone. The annual average rate of past-year heroin use in the U.S. has also increased by more than 62 percent in roughly the past decade. http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2015/07/07/heroin-use-skyrockets-in-us-cdc-says   <Back to Top>   Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International]]>