LIFEalerts 16 September 2015

LIFEalerts 16 September 2015

Abortion	USA – 2,030 Babies Saved After Three Abortion Clinics Close Down USA – 662 Babies Saved After Planned Parenthood Funding Cut USA – Protests planned at Planned Parenthood Clinics in 300 Cities
Alternative Medicine	South Africa – Combining herbal remedies & medical drugs can be harmful USA – High use of alternative medicine in oncology patient seniors
Euthanasia	Australia – Children contest will of Nitschke follower UK – Anscombe Centre Releases New resource on euthanasia USA – Euthanasia in Belgium and the Netherlands on a Slippery Slope Netherlands – Euthanasia activists send ‘educational kits’ to schools
HIV/AIDS	No news today
Homosexuality	No news today
IVF & Surrogacy	Australia – New technique uses signalling molecule in mother’s uterus Australia – Couple denied IVF because of fears they would harm the child India – New surrogacy laws in India alarm conservatives USA – Egg Donor vs. Egg Bank: What is the difference?
Medical Ethics	UK/USA – The eternal return of the embryo debate USA – Trust in the system USA – Policy analysts criticize non-medical sex-selection
Pedophilia	No news today
Pornography	UK – New Revenge Porn Laws Are ‘Having an Impact’ Canada – Police face battle against ‘unspeakable’ child porn Australia – MPs propose private members bill banning revenge porn USA – Adult videos being phased out at Hilton properties
Prostitution &Trafficking	Netherlands – Control methods used for sexual exploitation in trafficking United States – Prostitution Ideology and Trafficking: Australia and US South Africa – Foreign national arrested for human trafficking
Stem Cells & Cloning	Japan – Skepticism greets new stem-cell regulations in China USA – Witherspoon institute calls for cloning ban
Substance Abuse	USA – Teens Using E-Cigarette Devices to Smoke Marijuana Scotland – Heroin substitute methadone linked to half of drugs deaths Mexico – Stopping the Drug Menace in its Tracks USA – Lack of Meaning in Life Linked to Substance Abuse, Depression

  Abortion   USA – 2,030 Babies Saved After Three Abortion Clinics Close Down A new Ohio health department report shows 21,186 abortions in 2014, which is down from 23,216 abortions in 2013 – showing 2,030 babies saved. Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life credits new pro-life provisions in the state budget and the closing of three abortion clinics in 2014 for helping lower the number of abortions. In July, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed into law a pro-life state budget that funds pregnancy centers providing women with abortion alternatives and could close abortion clinics that can’t meet basic health and safety standards expected of legitimate medical centers. http://www.lifenews.com/2015/09/02/2030-babies-saved-from-abortion-in-ohio-after-three-abortion-clinics-close-down/   USA – 662 Babies Saved in After Planned Parenthood Funding Cut A newly released Department of Health Services report shows there were 6,462 abortions performed in 2013 and 5,800 in 2014 – 662 fewer abortions after cuts in taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood. In 2013, Gov. Scott Walker signed an ultrasound bill (Senate Bill 206) giving women the opportunity to see their unborn children It also requires abortionists to have admitting privileges within thirty miles of their facility. Abortion clinics have closed down that can’t comply with basic health and safety requirements. http://www.lifenews.com/2015/08/26/662-babies-saved-from-abortions-in-wisconsin-after-planned-parenthood-fund   USA – Protests planned at Planned Parenthood Clinics in 300 Cities Tens of thousands of pro-lifers are expected to protest at over 300 Planned Parenthood locations in 47 states and 5 countries in response to its selling of aborted babies and their body parts. “The media is finally starting to pay attention to the atrocities that Planned Parenthood has made a central part of their business model. They are too horrific and gruesome to ignore,” Troy Newman of Operation Rescue told LifeNews. “We need to show the politicians that the American people are waking up. They are seeing exactly what happens in these Planned Parenthood houses of horror, and they want it stopped.” http://www.lifenews.com/2015/08/21/pro-life-people-will-protest-at-planned-parenthood-clinics-in-over-300-cities-tomorro   Alternative Medicine   South Africa – Combining herbal remedies & medical drugs can be harmful A popular herbal remedy Moringa Oleifera (MO)‚ interferes with antiretroviral treatment (ART) and can have toxic effects when used with ART and other conventional medicine. “In South Africa up to 8 in 10 people with HIV use traditional medicines‚” says Dr Charles Awortwe‚ a researcher in Clinical Pharmacology at Stellenbosch University. Taking MO as an herbal supplement could potentially worsen the health conditions of patients on drug treatment. Herbal products interfere with the enzymes responsible for the chemical breakdown of drugs in the body. According to Awortwe‚ one-third of cases of acute kidney failure in Africa are estimated to be caused by traditional medicines. “Patients already taking MO as supplement should inform their doctors about this to avoid further harm.” http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2015/08/30/combining-herbal-remedies-with-conventional-drugs-can-be-harmful-researcher-warns   USA – High use of alternative medicine in oncology patient seniors Many seniors with cancer are using complementary or alternative medicines that could interfere with their cancer treatment. CAMs are thought to be harmless and helpful for a wide range of discomforts and illnesses. Although they’re marketed as “natural,” they often contain active ingredients that can react chemically and biologically with other therapies. Few oncologists are aware of the alternative medicines their patients take, says Ginah Nightingale, PharmD, and Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at Thomas Jefferson University.  A number of CAMs interfere with certain cancer treatments, for example St. John’s wart can make some cancer therapy less effective, and others can interfere with anesthesia during surgery for cancer. Dose and potency can vary widely between products, and between patients. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150826093018.htm   <Back to Top>   Euthanasia   Australia – Children contest will of Nitschke follower Bill O’Brien a healthy 89-year-old Australian man, who lived in Perth, went to a hotel room and took a lethal dose of Nembutal in July last year. He left his 1.8 million estate to Exit International to be spent on hiring a full-time political lobbyist, but only $5,000 each to his son and daughter. He was a personal friend of Dr Nitschke and one of three directors of Exit. Dr Nitschke said that Mr. O’Brien was not close to his children and that in any case they are “wealthy adults”. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/children-contest-will-of-nitschke-follower/11548   UK – Anscombe Centre Releases New resource on euthanasia As debate over end-of-life issues intensifies in the UK, the Anscombe Centre has released a comprehensive ‘evidence guide’ on the issue of euthanasia. The aim is “to help people assess and judge for themselves whether they are reassured or whether they are alarmed by the experience of countries where euthanasia or assisted suicide is legal.” David Albert Jones, director of the Anscombe Centre, says that “the evidence from all these countries [where assisted dying has been legalized] shows a steady increase in deaths by assisted suicide or euthanasia, a steady expansion to include patients with different conditions, and a steady decrease in the use of safeguards such as psychiatric assessment.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/new-resource-about-euthanasia/11531   USA – Euthanasia in Belgium and the Netherlands on a Slippery Slope According to a report by Art Caplan and co-author Barron H. Lerner in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Belgium and the Netherlands are on a slippery slope to the abuse of vulnerable groups. Although pro Euthanasia supporters all over the world say abuse in non existent these bioethicists say that statistics out of Belgium and Holland should raise alarm bells even for the USA. http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleID=2426425   Netherlands – Euthanasia activists send ‘educational kits’ to schools A secondary school in Amsterdam was the first ever to use a new “educational kit” developed by the Dutch “Voluntary End of Life Association” (NVVE) on September 3, the annual “Living Will Day” in the Netherlands. The propaganda package was officially presented at the Hyperion Lyceum by NVVE’s new president, Robert Schurink. The kit was created in order to supply facts, figures, and other information about euthanasia to Dutch high school students, who are required to conduct debates about contemporary issues. Euthanasia is currently the subject that is chosen most often. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/dutch-voluntary-end-of-life-association-creates-educational-propaganda-kit   <Back to Top>   HIV/AIDS & STI’s   No news today   <Back to Top>   Homosexuality   No news today   <Back to Top>   IVF &Surrogacy   Australia – New technique uses signalling molecule in mother’s uterus IVF will soon benefit from an option that cultures an embryo in an environment that closely mimics what occurs naturally in a mother during conception. The GM-CSF molecule protects the embryo from stress, making it stronger and more robust in the days following conception. Embryos are cultured for an additional 2 days (to the blastocyst stage), so that the best embryo can be selected on day 5 and implanted. Associate Professor Louise Hull, researcher at University of Adelaide’s Robinson Research Institute and Fertility Specialist at Fertility SA, is leading the first Australian BlastGen clinical trial. “This is a great example of how good medical research can translate into a treatment that makes a real difference in people’s lives,” she says. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-ivf-technique-molecule-naturally-mother.html   Australia – Couple denied IVF because of fears they would harm child A couple are being denied fertility treatment because of concerns they would harm the child, in a rare ruling by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The tribunal heard that the couple, who had never lived together and who were both on pensions, had five children, four of whom had been removed from their custody by the Department of Child Protection at various times. They are still able to try conceiving naturally if they choose. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/aug/17/victorian-couple-denied-ivf-because-of-fears-they-would-harm-child   India – New surrogacy laws in India alarm conservatives Indian mothers whose children were born by surrogacy in India will be entitled to maternity leave, following a high court ruling in Delhi. Opponents fear that this could open the door for legalizing surrogacy for gay couples. The judgement essentially rules that motherhood is not based on the circumstances of child’s birth, and that the intrinsic need of the mother and child to bond is not limited to the baby’s birth mother. Commercial surrogacy in India is legal, although regulations stopped most foreign couples and all same-sex couples from using Indian surrogate mothers to carry their children. Now only men and women who have been married for two years are granted visas for the purpose of surrogacy in India. http://www.sensiblesurrogacy.com/surrogacy-laws-in-india-alarm-conservatives/   USA – Egg Donor vs. Egg Bank: What is the difference? A study has shown that fresh donations have a higher rate of successful pregnancies and live births. Surrogates undergoing IVF are less likely to give birth if they use frozen eggs instead of fresh donor eggs. “Our research demonstrated that contrary to some claims made mostly by commercial interests, frozen eggs offer a lower chance of pregnancy and delivery chance after IVF than fresh eggs,” said Dr. Norbert Gleicher, medical director and chief scientist with the Centre for Human Reproduction in New York City. “Patients should be made aware of this fact.” Donors have no idea that their eggs are being resold to several couples that they had never met or heard of, while being paid for just a single donation. http://www.sensiblesurrogacy.com/egg-donor-vs-frozen-egg-bank/ Study: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2425734   <Back to Top>   Medical Ethics   UK/USA – The eternal return of the embryo debate A statement by the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council and other leading funding bodies urges “global stakeholders” to actively review existing restrictions on embryo experimentation, in light of the possibilities arising from new biotechnological developments: They encourage “biomedical and social scientists, ethicists, healthcare professionals… and the public” all to engage in the debate. But while British funding bodies are keen to reconsider embryo experimentation, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) are very apprehensive. In a statement published in Nature, NIH director Francis Collins says that the question of editing embryos is not a new one, and is “viewed nearly universally as a line that should not be crossed. NIH will not fund any use of gene-editing technologies in human embryos.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/the-eternal-return-of-the-embryo-debate/11556   USA – Trust in the system In the latest edition of the American Journal of Bioethics Drs Maureen Kelly (Oxford) and Sandra Soo-Jin Lee (Stanford) consider how patients perceive consent to Research on Medical Practices (ROMP). “Research on medical practices, including medical record reviews, comparative effectiveness research, quality improvement interventions, and point-of-care randomization is critically important to improving medical care, reducing risks to patients, and decreasing costs.” The authors found that developing relationships of trust are crucial to ensuring patient confidence and “The simple act of ‘being asked’ bolstered a sense of trust. Harvard health policy lecturer Emily A. Largent commented that doctors need to be transparent with patients about the distinction between patient care and research (done for the good of society and future generations). http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/trust-in-the-system/11540   USA – Policy analysts criticize non-medical sex-selection Leading bioethicists have criticized the practice of non-medical sex-selection in American IVF clinics which involves a woman producing embryos which are genetically tested before implantation.  The process is known as “family balancing”. Bioethicist Arthur Caplan warned that this could easily become a smoke screen for families who want boys.  “When you are treating the fertile in order to produce something that they prefer as opposed to a disease, I do think you’re really opening the door to a potential slope toward eugenics,” he said. Family-balancing services are advertised prominently on many IVF clinics’ websites and about half of the patients seeking the service come from overseas. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/policy-analysts-criticise-non-medical-sex-selection/11532   <Back to Top>   Pedophilia   No news today   <Back to Top>   Pornography   UK – New Revenge Porn Laws Are ‘Having an Impact’ New laws designed to tackle revenge porn are “having an impact” in bringing offenders to justice. Ahead of sentencing of a 21-year-old man who posted, texted and emailed intimate photos without a woman’s consent, the Director of Public Prosecutions remarked that it was right for revenge porn to be a recognized offence. The offence can now carry a maximum of two years’ imprisonment. The DPP described the crime, often committed by vengeful ex-partners, as “a violation of trust between two people, with a purpose to publicly humiliate”. Police across the UK are currently tackling the largest ever volume of revenge porn cases and potential victims range from 11-year-olds to pensioners. http://news.sky.com/story/1531730/new-revenge-porn-laws-are-having-an-impact   Canada – Police face battle against ‘unspeakable’ child porn Investigators are battling an inundation of child pornography cases but are having a tougher time fighting the “unspeakable” crimes as they contend with legal hurdles and offenders who find new ways to share graphic images. According to Alberta Law Enforcement investigations have grown increasingly difficult and complex as it’s an on-going challenge to stay a step ahead of the technology. In addition, a ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2014 means police must now get a warrant to obtain Internet subscriber information, which adds time to their investigations. Many arrests have been made but it is a drop in the bucket. The reality is, child sexual abuse photos and videos are being shared at a growing rate. http://calgaryherald.com/news/crime/eight-albertans-charged-in-child-porn-sting   Australia – MPs propose private members bill banning revenge porn So-called revenge porn could be outlawed under legislation being flagged by the federal opposition. The bill would make it a criminal offence to distribute sexually explicit images of an ex-partner without their consent. Both Victorian and South Australian governments have moved to criminalize the act, along with the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The Federal Parliament also needed to tackle the issue and a strong message should be sent to men that the taking of private, intimate, sexual pictures should be viewed in the same way as other illegal sexual conduct. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-03/labor-mps-propose-private-members-bill-banning-revenge-porn/6747764   USA – Adult videos being phased out at Hilton properties At the Hilton Doubletree Hotel and other Hilton properties worldwide adult videos will no longer be available in rooms as the chain will be phasing them out. According to the National Centre on Sexual Exploitations, Dawn Hawkins, Hilton will be taken off the so called “Dirty Dozen” list. She is very grateful for this decision because pornography is causing a public health crisis and it leads to increased demand for sex trafficking, and child exploitation. Hawkins also remarked that Marriott hotels changed their policy a few years ago and that’s when we turned out attention to Hilton. We are now also going after retailers. http://www.myfoxorlando.com/story/29808445/adult-videos-being-phased-out-at-hilton-properties   <Back to Top>   Prostitution & Trafficking   Netherlands – Control methods used for sexual exploitation in trafficking This study examines control methods used against 137 victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation. A multidimensional scaling analysis of 23 control methods derived from a content analysis of police files from the Netherlands revealed three distinct forms of control. These could be interpreted in terms of Canter’s Victim Role Model that has been the basis for differentiating offending styles in other violent interpersonal offences. Further analysis showed a relationship between these control styles and different types of prostitution. The three, Victim as Object, Victim as Vehicle and Victim as Person modes are consistent with different control methods identified in previous research. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17440572.2014.979915#abstract   United States – Prostitution Ideology and Trafficking: Australia and USA Debates over the legitimacy and legality of prostitution have characterized human trafficking discourse for the last two decades. An article in the Journal of Women, Politics & Policy identifies the extent to which competing perspectives concerning the legitimacy of prostitution have influenced anti-trafficking policy in Australia and the United States and argues that each nation-state’s approach to domestic sex work has influenced trafficking legislation. The legal status of prostitution in each country, and feminist influences on prostitution law reform, has had a significant impact on the nature of the legislation adopted. http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/ah7p67d2Gh2uXpmGkaVW/full#.VfAqidKqqko   South Africa – Foreign national arrested for human trafficking A 30-year-old Nigerian national has been arrested in Johannesburg for human trafficking following the escape of a victim in May this year‚ the South African Police Service (SAPS) said. Two women allegedly lured the victim to a house “under the pretence that they were going to meet one of the ladies’ boyfriends. Upon arrival the victim was drugged and forced to wear a miniskirt and was used as a sex slave. “The Hawks are still hot on the heels of the two women who are believed to be the ones used by the main suspect to recruit women to be used as prostitutes. “The suspect will appear before the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court.” http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2015/09/03/Nigerian-national-arrested-for-human-trafficking   <Back to Top>   Stem Cells & Cloning   Japan – Skepticism greets new stem-cell regulations in China China’s National Health Commission says all stem cell treatments are deemed experimental, except bone marrow transplants. There must be informed consent, clinical-grade stem cells must be used, and treatment may only happen at authorized hospitals which do not advertise or charge. However, Douglas Sipp, stem-cell policy expert at the RIKEN Centre for Developmental Biology in Japan, told Nature News: “In principle, I applaud any efforts to rein in practice of predatory clinics that take advantage of patients. But the fact that these new rules do not appear to have penalties leaves open the question of how effective they will be. I have seen China crack down on stem-cell clinics at least twice in the past, and the results were inconclusive.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/scepticism-greets-new-stem-cell-regulations-in-china/11547   USA – Witherspoon institute calls for cloning ban While cloning may have tiptoed out of news rooms, it lingers in laboratories, says bioethics group the Witherspoon Council on Ethics and the Integrity of Science, which includes former members and staffers from the Presidents Council on Bioethics. With the lull in the debate, now is the time for legislative reform to ban all forms of human cloning and the creation of embryos for research. “The justification for engaging in cloning-for-biomedical-research is weaker than ever before, thanks to the availability of viable alternative sources of pluripotent stem cells.  The practice of science in a free society is not exempt from democratic oversight, and in the case of cloning, such oversight is urgently needed. The time to act is now.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/us-bioethics-group-calls-for-cloning-ban/11552   <Back to Top>   Substance Abuse   USA – Teens Using E-Cigarette Devices to Smoke Marijuana A Yale University study published in the journal Pediatrics, found that of 3,847 Connecticut high school students surveyed, 28 percent reported using e-cigarettes. Of those, 18 percent have used the devices to vaporize concentrated liquid marijuana or hash oil, which contain concentrated THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the principal psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. Users said they prefer vaping because it offers secrecy and cannot easily be detected. But researchers said the practice can produce a higher-potency high that can be injurious to teens and young adults during crucial brain-development years. Meghan E. Morean, Ph.D., is the lead author of the study. http://www.healthline.com/health-news/teens-using-e-cigarette-devices-to-smoke-marijuana-090915#6   Scotland – Heroin substitute methadone linked to half of drugs deaths A new report on drug mortality has highlighted a worrying trend in Ayrshire, with the heroin substitute methadone contributing to more than half (25 out of 43) of Ayrshire’s drug deaths in 2014. Authors of the National Record of Scotland report have branded the figure “unusually high” and it has led to renewed calls for a review of the controversial program which treats recovering addicts. Ayr MSP John Scott said “The attempts of recent years to simply manage the problem, based on harm reduction and an over-reliance on methadone, have just not worked. The challenge is to expand the range of rehabilitation services on offer and move to abstinence and recovery.” South Ayrshire currently treats 485 on methadone. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/heroin-substitute-methadone-linked-more-6375513   Mexico – Stopping the Drug Menace in its Tracks Mexico’s drug cartels hold a firm grip on the lucrative U.S. drug trade, controlling 70{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of all drugs trafficked into the U.S. and over 90{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of the cocaine trade. Each year, more than 8,000 minors under 18 are recruited into the cartels, many as young as 10 or 12 years old and it’s not rare for a child of 10 to use cannabis and quickly progress to harder drugs. While Mexican police forces say they are powerless to keep minors from slipping into the drug world, there are organizations training police in Mexico who guard them in schools, distribute pamphlets and speak to them about their choices and drugs. http://www.drugfreeworld.org/newsletter/2015-summer-stop-drug-menace-in-mexico.html   USA – Lack of Meaning in Life Linked to Substance Abuse, Depression A lack of ultimate meaning in life, considered an important dimension of spirituality, is associated with alcohol abuse and drug addiction, as well as other mental health problems including anxiety and depression, according to a new study at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). They found that encouraging people’s creative talents (painting, writing), giving them opportunities to serve others, and helping them to connect to core values and their true self through prayer and meditation helped them to discover ultimate purpose and meaning as part of their recovery process. The study is published in the Journal of Social Service Research. http://psychcentral.com/news/2015/08/15/lack-of-meaning-in-life-linked-to-substance-abuse-depression/90907.html   <Back to Top>   Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International]]>