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LIFEalerts – Sexual Exploitation

Sexual Exploitation

USA – COVID-19 Impact Exposes Millions To The Risk Of Trafficking

Although almost 50,000 victims of human trafficking were detected and reported in 2018 by 148 countries, the “hidden nature” of the crime means that the actual number of victims could be “far higher”, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said. Migrants and people without jobs were among the groups most targeted by human traffickers. “We need targeted action to stop criminal traffickers from taking advantage of the pandemic to exploit the vulnerable”. Traffickers integrate technology into their modus operandi at every stage of the process: from recruiting to exploiting victims. They saw their victims as “commodities” without regard for human dignity and rights, noting that they would “sell” fellow human beings for a price ranging from tens of dollars to tens of thousands, with large criminal organizations making the highest incomes. More

Canada – Helping women transition out of sex work

A new study called “Helping women transition out of sex work: study protocol of a mixed-methods process and outcome evaluation of a sex work exiting program” found that for women who want to, exiting sex work can be complicated by multi-traumatic symptoms and challenges related to addictions, physical and mental health problems, legal matters, housing issues, and lack of employment skills. The study focusses on evaluating the effectiveness of various exit programs in order to see if objectives are being met. Dalla (2006) identified economic instability, mental health challenges, and existing relationships with significant others as barriers to women’s successful exit out of prostitution. It also recognizes that exiting prostitution is not a straight forward process and that some women relapse a few times before they leave for good. Exit programs are there for women who desire to exit and not to force those who aren’t ready. Programs that help women exit need to address the key challenges such as housing, mental health, health and wellness, employment/vocational training/education, community and life skills, or friends and family. One such program called Exit Doors Here in Canada exists and has serves around 20-30 women a year. Study

LIFEalerts – Abortion

Abortion

Brazil – New study shows unborn baby react to needle injection causing pain

With the advent of high-definition 4-dimensional ultrasound (4D-US), it is possible to record fetal body and facial expressions. In a recent study, unborn babies undergoing an anaesthetic injection into their thigh ahead of intrauterine surgery exhibit changes in facial expression similar to newborn babies experiencing pain. The evidence gathered in this study coheres with the increasing evidence that the unborn can experience pain. Last year, a large number of MPs attended a Parliamentary webinar to discuss the evidence indicating that the unborn baby may feel pain from as early as 12 weeks’ gestation.

This study was published in the Journal of Medical Ethics and called ‘Reconsidering Fetal Pain’. In this study, they argue that women considering abortion at 12 weeks’ gestation should be told about the pain their unborn baby could experience while being terminated. Lethal injection of potassium chloride to their heart in a late-term abortion. This is the same chemical used to execute inmates in the US. The administration of potassium chloride in executions is considered so painful that it is considered necessary to first administer an anaesthetic before its use in state executions. The American College of Pediatricians has released their position statement after reviewing the scientific evidence on fetal pain at 12 weeks’ gestation, and possibly earlier, and are in full agreement with the findings. Sorting pain out of salience: assessment of pain facial expressions in the human fetus, American College of Pediatricians: Unborn Children Feel Pain, Study shows baby in the womb reacting to anaesthetic injection.

USA – Unsafe: the ground-breaking investigative report on abortion industry that endangers women

A ground-breaking 50-state investigative report on America’s abortion industry conditions is a comprehensive, documented record of the tragic consequences of that decision to make abortion legal and believing, against the evidence, that it would be safer. The report documents more than 300 facilities in 39 states that were cited for more than 2,400 health and safety deficiencies between 2008 and 2020, including hundreds of significant violations of state laws meant to ensure basic health and safety. The report also includes information on the dangers of chemical abortion drugs, abortionists’ disregard for patient safety, and their failure to report the trafficking and rape of young girls. Unsafe equips advocates and lawmakers with evidence of the need for health and safety standards. Report

Poland – Top court rules abortion in case of disability is unconstitutional

Despite the play on words by mainstream media, women are not the ones in danger if abortion on the unborn is made illegal, because it’s the unborn who gets aborted. Poland’s top court has ruled to protect unborn babies from being aborted when they are diagnosed with a disability this also means that almost all abortion in Poland is banned. Abortion will now only be permissible in cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s life is thought to be at risk which makes up only 2% of abortions. Poland will now be the country with the strictest abortion laws in Europe and recent polling results show 75% of Polish people think abortion is always wrong and can never be justified while only 7% felt otherwise. More

Africa – Help us, don’t kill us! Plead against funding of abortion

Culture of Life Africa pleads with President Biden of America, in a video, to keep President Trump’s Mexico City Policy (MCP) intact. MCP bans American taxpayer money from funding NGOs in foreign countries that promote or provide abortion. Lawyers, nurses, doctors, students, business entrepreneurs from continents all over Africa pleaded with the USA to channel funds into helping the needy, the poor, the weak, sick and homeless and that hospitals, drinkable water, food, good education and infrastructure are what they need – not abortion. African communities are built on the principles of sanctity of life, equal dignity for all, protecting the weak and vulnerable and since the right to life is inherent, the same should be afforded to the unborn child said a lawyer in the video. They hope that Biden will recognize the African Culture and respect their heart’s cry and not force western ideas and ideologies on the world of the poor. More

LIFEalerts – Euthanasia

Euthanasia

UK – Human Rights Experts alarmed at growing trend seeking euthanasia for the disabled

United Nations Human Rights experts expressed alarm at a growing trend to legalise euthanasia based largely on having a disability or disabling conditions, including in old age. They said that Disability should never be a ground or justification to end someone’s life directly or indirectly. This, the experts said, that normalizing euthanasia for the people who are not terminally ill or suffering at the end of their lives would give rise to discriminative assumptions about the inherent “quality of life” or “worth” of the life of a person with a disability. Such assumptions are grounded in ableism and associated stereotypes. Disability is not a burden or a deficit of the person. It is a universal aspect of the human condition. Article, UN Statement.

Belgium – New study finds euthanasia ethically broken in Belgium

A new study in The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy has argued that Belgian euthanasia is ethically broken, both administratively and legally. The study draws on thoroughly researched academic research over the past 20 years and the reports of the control commission itself. The authors three main assertions are; the scope of the Euthanasia Law

That has stretched from being used for serious and incurable illnesses to cover tiredness of life. Tiredness of life is not supported by Belgian law but doctors circumvent the law by diagnosing “polypathology”– a jumble of ailments which nearly every elderly person has. This represented 19.4% of all reported euthanasia cases in 2019 and a “staggering” 47% of all reported nonterminal cases.

“Second, the obligatory consultation of one or two independent physicians may fail to provide a real safeguard. Their tasks are quite limited, and, more importantly, their advice is not binding anyway. The final authority to perform euthanasia lies with the attending physician who can perform it even against the (negative) advice of the consulted physicians.” For example: If euthanasia is requested for a psychiatric condition, a psychiatrist should be consulted. However, if the patient has another condition, it can be redefined as “polypathology” and a GP can approve it, eliminating the need for a psychiatric consultation.

Third, “The Commission is unable to check the fulfilment of various legal criteria, and it has substantial authority to (re) interpret the Euthanasia Law as it sees fit.” In fact, “the Commission does not seem to act as a filter between physicians who perform euthanasia and the Public Prosecutor, but instead as a shield that prevents potentially problematic cases from being referred.”

Conflict of interest is baked into the composition of the 16-member evaluation committee. Eight of them must be doctors and many of them, including the chairman, Wim Distelmans, perform euthanasia regularly. So they end up checking each other’s files for irregularities. They are supposed to recuse themselves if one of their own cases comes up – but they don’t. The Commission’s track record illustrates its ineffectiveness. In 18 years of legalisation, only one case was referred to the Public Prosecutor and it was so obviously in breach of the law that referral was needed to keep up appearances. Article, study.

LIFEalerts – IVF & Surrogacy

IVF & Surrogacy

Australia – Class action lawsuit against IVF clinic might be the biggest case yet

A class action was just lodged against Monash IVF Pty Ltd, the owner of IVF clinics in Australia. The legal documents were filed in the Supreme Court of Victoria against Monash IVF on behalf of patients who had embryos genetically tested with the IVF clinic between May 2019 and October 2020. The allegations were that the fertility provider might have destroyed healthy embryos through a faulty non-invasive genetic screening test (PGT-A test), meaning that embryos may have been incorrectly labelled as abnormal, generating false-positive results. The IVF patients are suing for tens of millions of dollars in compensation, with some concerned they may have been deprived of their chance of bearing offspring. More than 1,000 patients could be victims, making it one of the most significant class actions ever lodged against a fertility provider in Australia. More

LIFEalerts – Medical Ethics

Medical Ethics

USA – New state plan to decide life-saving treatment of overwhelmed hospitals

The NC Institute of Medicine, the NC Healthcare Association, and the NC Medical Society developed a hospital triage released a plan to help guide medical providers navigate ethical questions of who would get life-saving treatment when hospitals are overwhelmed by critically ill patients, and running out of equipment or space in a pandemic. The plan ranks patients based on how well their vital organs are functioning, as well as determinations of whether they would live long enough to leave the hospital if they got intensive medical care. The goal is to do the greatest good for the greatest number. This is different from the traditional focus of medical ethics, which is centered on promoting the well-being of individual patients.

In a webinar with reporters, one doctor said this was a dramatic shift in the thinking of physicians and the public’s expectations of medical staff during times of shortages. This is difficult for medical providers who take a professional oath to save individual lives whenever possible and this shift is uncomfortable for everyone involved. Some concerns that medical staff had about making decisions using patient health scores were about whether internal biases would creep in and whether all doctors’ medical assessments were reliable. More

USA – Physician coalition calls for ethical vaccines devoid of reliance on abortion derived fetal cell lines

The American College of Pediatricians, the American Association of Pro-life Ob-Gyns, the Christian Medical and Dental Associations et al, released a joint statement calling for the development of ethical vaccines devoid of any reliance upon abortion derived fetal cell lines. “Recent reports of the effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, which are both mRNA vaccines, are encouraging. Although it is true that the animal-phase testing for these vaccines used abortion-derived fetal cells, commendably, it does not appear that production methods utilized such cells.” The statement concluded that if COVID-19 vaccines are approved as safe and effective, then use of the least ethically problematic vaccine available in the prevention of disease and death can be justified. More

South Africa – SA suspends vaccine AstraZeneca immunization campaign

South Africa’s (SA) first immunisation campaign has been halted since the coronavirus vaccine, AstraZeneca, has been found to show less protection than elsewhere. The South African trial of the vaccine, conducted in about 2000 people, found such a low efficacy against mild and moderate disease, under 25%, that it fails to meet minimal international standards for emergency use. COVID-19 vaccines made by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Novavax also offer weaker protection against the SA variant that causes the vast majority of all infections in South Africa. Shabir Madhi of the University of the Witwatersrand, the trial’s principal investigator, was still optimistic because the J&J and AstraZeneca still convincingly protected against severe disease and death. More

USA – Ultrasound treatment used to recover coma patients with severe brain injuries

In 2016, a team led by UCLA’s Martin Monti reported that a 25-year-old man recovering from a coma had made remarkable progress following treatment to jump-start his brain using ultrasound. In the journal Brain Stimulation, Monti and colleagues now report that two more patients with severe brain injuries have made impressive progress thanks to the same technique. Monti, a UCLA professor of psychology and neurosurgery considers this new result much more significant because these chronic patients were much less likely to recover spontaneously than the acute patient they treated in 2016. The scientists used a technique called low-intensity focused ultrasound, which uses sonic stimulation to excite the neurons in the thalamus. The hope is to translate the technology into an inexpensive, portable device so the treatment could even be delivered at patients’ homes. More

LIFEalerts – LGBTQ+ Issues

LGBTQ+ Issues

UK – Parents force BBC to remove video teaching kids there are 100 gender identities

Parental backlash has forced the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) to remove educational content which taught children aged 9 and 12 that more than a 100 gender identities exist. Groups like Transgender Trend and Safe Schools Alliance called the content biologically inaccurate, described it as undermining safeguarding, and ultimately confusing children about the reality that only two sexes exist. Safe Schools Alliance, who was leading the campaign against the BBC has welcomed the withdrawal of the content. This marks another victory for England since a recent court case banned the use of experimental drugs like puberty blocking treatment for minors. Article, London newspaper reveals ‘shocking evidence’ about transgender treatments.

USA – Ex-transgender: Affirming children in gender confusion is psychological abuse

A new HBO Max documentary called “Transhood” follows the lives of four children for five years who believe they are the opposite sex. Walt Heyer who lived as a transgender woman for 8 years, says that Transhood is grooming children into the transgender lifestyle. Walt traces the onset of his gender confusion and wanting to be female to the psychological, emotional, and sexual damage that occurred before he was ten. His grandmother who was a seamstress, unaware of the damage that she was inflicting, indoctrinated him into enjoying being a girl by telling him that he looked cute in a purple dress, and like any child he wanted to bask in his grandmothers’ affection and wanted to please her.

The underlying message to Walt however, was that he would be loved more as a girl instead of the boy he was. This secret dress up continued for two years and this caused him to grow increasingly uncomfortable with himself as a boy. “the damage mounted: out-of-control drinking, copious amounts of female hormones to look like a woman, divorce and loss of family, loss of career, and drug abuse, culminating with “gender affirming” surgery at age 42.” He was happy at first after surgery, but when the giddy effect wore off, he realized he needed help. Walt says that his medical transition was a form of self-abuse. Dr Michelle Cretella, executive director of the American College of Pediatricians calls this psychological abuse to tell developing children, that they can be born in the wrong body. It is science fiction and this makes it far more difficult for children to embrace reality, she said. Parents who allow their children to experiment in social transitioning are allowing psychological abuse. More

USA – Prestigious medical journal explores womb transplants for men

The Journal of the American Medical Association published findings which surveyed 182 transgender women (biological males) and found that 90% believed having a womb transplant would satisfy and improve their perception and feelings of femininity, and alleviate dysphoric symptoms if they could menstruate, be pregnant and have a functioning transplanted vagina. Paul McHugh, Professor of Psychiatry from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the first to experiment in transgender surgery and later found that surgical interventions failed to benefit transgender patients, and other professors of law from Harvard university and professors of Psychology, have all praised and approved a publication called When Harry became Sally. The book documents the personal stories of multiple individuals who regret transgender surgery, who also at first thought this would satisfy them and alleviate their dysphoria.

Individuals who regret their transition have placed their emphasis on counselling and making transitioning a last resort. A recent court case in the UK which concluded a ban on transgender drugs and surgery for minors, revealed concerns from former staff members at the gender clinic about children being rushed into transgender surgery. A group of ex-transgender individuals also testified about their regret and their goal was to protect unsuspecting youth from experiencing the same disappointment they have. Similar to individuals with anorexia nervosa who believe their perception and feelings over body weight will improve if they starve themselves to keep at a below normal body weight, transgender individuals who believe their perception will improve if they change their sex, are on an unhealthy path in search for alleviation. The goal of any therapy should be to differentiate between realistic and unrealistic expectations and the focus should be on achieving acceptance of oneself in conjunction with reality. More, When Harry became Sally.

LIFEalerts – Pornography

Pornography

Canada – To make tech giants pay for news

Canada’s government wants to follow Australia’s example of introducing a bill that address how social media companies should compensate Canadian news publishers. According to reports, Canada will be looking at creating a new federal regulator to oversee how Google and Big Tech companies deal with illegal content such as child pornography etc. Google responded by threatening to pull their services from the country and changing their content so that thousands of Australians see in the name of a media stunt. “they have actively used the monopoly control over information markets to try and influence Australian opinion. This reveals an entrenched disregard for community welfare and threatens to undermine Australia’s public decision-making processes.” More

North Macedonia – North Macedonia threatens to Block Telegram Over Pornography

Macedonian authorities threaten to block the messaging app Telegram over activities of a group consisting of more than 7,000 users who have been sharing and exchanging explicit pictures and videos of girls – some of whom are underage. Some users even wrote the names and locations of the girls. Others have shared photo shopped images taken from their Instagram profiles. If Telegram does not close the group called Public Room permanently, which was first discovered in January 2020, authorities will block Telegram without hesitation. Four people had already been arrested in connection with the revived group and a full-scale investigation has been launched. More

USA – The Truth about Teen Boys Addiction to Pornography

Michael Rubino, Ph.D, MFT, is a psychotherapist and has been licensed and practicing since 1997. He also has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and is licensed as a Marriage, Family and Child Therapist. Dr Rubino specializes in treating children and teenagers. He has appeared on several television and radio shows discussing teenage and parenting issues. He also works with high risk teens and children such as run always, children with Bipolar, Autism, teens who are suicidal and abusing drugs just to name a few.

The old stereo type of what it takes to “be a man” has had a negative impact on teenage boys according to current research data, writes Dr Rubino. It has lead boys to becoming sexually active in middle school, isolation, and being lead to believe that they should handle life like a grown man. However, they are not fully mature nor are they prepared to handle everything on their own. This stereotype has made them feel like they cannot ask for help or to share their concerns with their friends, and they feel like failures at 16 years old. Some teenage boys have self-reported going to porn sites five to 10 times a day. Therefore, while the DSM V does not list porn addiction as a formal diagnosis, many researchers and clinicians believe that people especially teenage boys can become addicted to pornography.

In his article Dr Rubino advises fathers that if they notice a change in their teenage son and they see that the teen spends a lot more time in his room since quarantine, then talk to him about pornography. Do it calmly and gently. Explain that pornography is a fantasy and not reality, and how it can give a boy the wrong idea about how to treat a woman. Don’t be afraid to ask if your son is having problems with pornography and reassure them that if they are, you will not get mad and you will help them find help for the issue. Be there as their father to eliminate the lonely, isolated feeling and help them on the road to recovery.  More

Singapore – Watching porn, getting addicted

An addiction recovery center reports that the number of people seeking help for compulsive sexual behaviour in 2020 has doubled which includes excessive viewing of pornography. Cases include highly educated professionals who cannot go through the day without watching porn. Experts said the rise could be due to boredom, having poor coping strategies to stress and increased screen time during the coronavirus pandemic. Stuck indoors with nowhere to go, more people have gone online in search of entertainment during this time. More

Philippines – NTC asks 47 internet providers to explain failure to block child porn

47 internet service providers (ISPs) has been ordered by The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to explain their failure to block child pornography. The Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 requires ISPs to inform the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) within 7 days of obtaining facts regarding child pornography engagement on their servers. ISPs are also compelled to preserve evidence for purposes of investigation and prosecution, and to furnish details of users involved in the child abuse. Despite the law being 11 years old, the ISP companies continue to disregard their duties. President Rodrigo Duterte approved the imposition of sanctions on the ISPs for their failure to comply. More

USA – Utah’s revenge porn law cleared by Utah House

Utah House of Representatives approve HB147, a bill inspired by the killing of Utah University student Lauren McCluskey. The bill would clarify that sharing of intimate images of someone without his or her consent is outlawed, regardless of whether a victim is alive to suffer emotional distress. More than two years ago, Lauren shared intimate photos with a university police officer to aid in the investigation of her eventual killer, who was blackmailing her with the photos. The officer showed the pictures to others on at least four occasions. Utah laws provide no avenue to prosecute the officer because it currently requires victims to suffer “actual emotional distress”. Charges could not be filed because Lauren was already dead by the time the officer shared the photos. More

USA – Utah privacy protection efforts hits a wall again

Twice in four months, proposals to compel makers of cellphones, tablets and computers to have porn filtering software installed and switched on for all sales in Utah wasn’t able to breach the wall of legislative approval. Supporters of the proposal praise the effective new tool because it keeps explicit internet content out of reach of children. Opponents whose only concern is constitutional issues and the potential for downstream business harm, have lambasted the proposal. They argue that parents must take responsibility for what they place in the hands of their children. Not the manufacturer. Chris McKenna, founder of internet safety advocacy group Protect Young Eyes, said this tool is to help, but not replace, parenting duties. More

LIFEalerts – IVF & Surrogacy

IVF & Surrogacy

UK – Proposals introduce surrogacy contracts

Pre-conception authorization of surrogacy agreements (PASA) is gaining ground internationally and has already been in effect in several countries such as Israel, Greece and South Africa. The main goal of PASA is to ensure that the intending parents automatically become the parents after the child’s birth by doing away with the old Roman law of “the mother is always the legal parent”. It also provides for a signed agreement between surrogate mother and intending parents with an authority who gives permission before conception of the future child. PASA hopes that by regulating and facilitating surrogacy safely & effectively, this would prevent people from travelling abroad where the risk of commodification, exploitation and commercialization is greater. A list of countries who offer surrogacy will also be available.  

Two Dutch Ethicists argue that the PASA proposals in the UK and The Netherlands would not protect women and children against commodification, commercialisation and exploitation especially now since regulation will encourage the process and even make overseas surrogacy transactions more attractive since they won’t fully close it off. The other concern is that children born from Surrogacy will in the future, sue the state for failing to protect their human rights and dignity. Such lawsuits are already taking place in the context of adoption and donor-conception. The decision to regulate comes as advocates for surrogacy claim it happens anyway and it’s here to stay so it’s better to regulate than discourage and prevent. Commercial surrogacy leads to mothers and children being treated as instruments to fulfil the wishes of others and are seen as commodities to be traded on the ‘reproductive market’.

Women who struggle financially will see no other option but to offer her ‘reproductive services’, and thereby exposing themselves to potentially exploitative abusive practices. It is widely recognized that economic inequalities are increasing and with the coronavirus crisis, the process is expected to accelerate making the risks of exploitation even greater than before. With the rise of new reproductive technologies and the advent of the internet, a worldwide reproductive market was created where pregnancy can be outsourced. In this market, various instances of commodification of children and exploitation of surrogate mothers have come to light. In South Africa, the PASA system does not accept commercial surrogacy arrangements, it is open to same-sex couples and single individuals, and at least one of the intending parents must be genetically related to the future child (although exceptions to this rule are possible); and intending parents are to be recognized as the child’s legal parents from the moment of birth. The revision of the PASA do not aim to encourage or discourage surrogacy, but to offer better protection to all involved. Article, Research Article.

China – Chinese model abandons surrogate-born children

A wave of outrage swept through Chinese social media a popular model and actress, Zheng Shuang, has been accused by her estranged former partner of abandoning two children whom she commissioned from two surrogate mothers in the United States. She was immediately dumped by the luxury goods firm Prada as a brand ambassador and government regulators have blacklisted her. The former couples’ parents suggested abandoning the babies at a hospital while the others said to put them up for adoption. The actress expressed annoyance that they could not be aborted. The Chinese Government said: “Surrogacy is banned in China as it uses women’s uteruses as a tool and sells life as a commercial product. As a Chinese citizen, the act of travelling to the US on a legal loophole is not abiding the law.” More

LIFEalerts – Same Sex Attraction

Same Sex Attraction

UK – New Study shows transgender youth risk massive bone density loss on treatment

According to a new study done in 2020, puberty blockers (PB) administered to 12-15-year-old gender-dysphoric youth showed massive decline in bone mineral density (BMD) when compared to peers. The study authors, which included 44 patients, are from the Gender clinic called Tavistock and Portman NHS trust in the UK. Endocrinologist Dr Michael Laidlaw criticizes the study authors for trying to downplay the seriousness of the finding and says PB will lead adolescents to a much higher risk of early osteoporosis and fractures. Another endocrinologist, Dr Will Malone, said in 2019 that the most critical time for long term bone/skeletal health is achieved in our teen years but to continuing with PB will stop the rapid increase in bone density needed during this critical time. More

UK – Medical Journal choose the praise and applaud of people over science

It widely accepted medical knowledge that there exists significant differences between males and females biologically. Both respond differently to medical therapies, and a variety of neurological and psychiatric conditions demonstrate robust differences between the sexes in their incidence, symptoms, progression and response to treatment. There are also differences in the way the two sexes metabolize nutrients, and if properly studied, sex differences are the gateway to precision medicine. It is then with shock and horror that most will have to unpack the New England Journal of Medicine for it’s bizarre statement: “sex designations on birth certificates offer no clinical utility, and they can be harmful for intersex and transgender people.” The world’s most prestigious medical journal has left many professionals in disbelief. More

UK – Soaring numbers in divorce among homosexual women

Women in the UK who consider themselves married to other women are separating in soaring numbers – at rates higher than divorces of heterosexual couples. One lesbian activist, Natalie Drew, runs a clinic to help women in lesbian couples conceive children, and, as she told the Daily Mail, “a third of the 586 lesbian couples she helped to have babies between 2011 and 2015 have split up.” Drew’s argument is that the ceremony and terminology of marriage, as opposed to “civil partnership,” encourages lesbian couples to adopt a traditional specialization of roles. Which means that marriage is not a good model for lesbian couples, because they lack the natural complementarity of the sexes. Same-sex couples that buy into the traditional model, are going to a struggle to adapt to a quite different psychological and biological reality. More

UK – Shocking Evidence Shows Transgender ‘Treatment’ Harms Adolescence

Shocking evidence on the medical harms done to under 16’s treated by a Gender Identity clinic in London known also as Tavistock, led a High Court judge to ban the clinic from prescribing puberty-blockers, saying that is was “very doubtful” that youngsters could give informed consent. Swedish psychiatrist Christopher Gillberg testified that the use of puberty blockers is basically “a live experiment” on vulnerable children. His evidence shows blockers can harm a child’s brain and bone development; clinics are urging gender-changing teen girls to choose sperm donors to fertilise eggs before freezing them; Children who regret treatment find themselves “locked” into new bodies; Internet sites persuade autistic children that they are transgender when they simply have identity issues. Dr Gilberts’ concern is that “we have left established evidence-based clinical practice and are using powerful life-altering medication for a vulnerable group of adolescents and children based upon a belief.”

Other doctors also testified that there was a “disproportionate number” of children across the world claiming trans identities who were in care, adopted, autistic, anorexic or had psychiatric or mental illnesses. The evidence included testimony from dozens of young women who claimed that their lives had been ruined by sex change treatments. Professor Stephen Levine, an American expert in the field of gender treatment, testified that “there was no other field of medicine where such radical interventions are offered to children with such a poor evidence base”. He also claimed that treatment was taking place in such a toxic climate where critical and cautious voices are shouted down as transphobic, hateful and engaging in conversion therapy. “Scientific requirements for establishing an intervention’s utility are well known in medicine,” he said. “Advances are undertaken through carefully controlled clinical trials. Why should gender problems be considered an exception?”. All these expert witnesses and former young people whose lives were ruined by sex change “therapies” contributed to the UK High Court’s decision to ban such treatment to be administered to minors sunder 16. More

Texas – Proposed bill would amount sex transitions for minors to child abuse

Texas has filed a bill HB 68 defines child abuse to include the removal of healthy tissue, the prescription of puberty-blocking hormones, and sterilization surgeries if the procedures aim to “change or affirm a child’s perception of the child’s sex, if that perception is inconsistent with the child’s biological sex as determined by the child’s sex organs, chromosomes, and endogenous hormone profiles.” This bill is inspired after the infamous case of James Younger, a 7-year-old whose mother wanted to medically transition him against the father’s wishes, and in the end won full custody of the boy. Many studies show that 80% of gender confused children desist from wanting to transition by the time they’re 20. The UK has also banned medical & chemical transgender treatments for minors recently. Other U.S. states considering similar bills are Alabama, Indiana, Missouri, Mississippi, and New Hampshire.

Proposed Bill Would Classify Sex Transitions for Minors as Child Abuse, Bill tracker.

LIFEalerts – Sexual Exploitation

Sexual Exploitation

Israel – Men who buy sex will attend workshops to learn how this harms them and women

Instead of fining first-time offenders caught soliciting prostitutes, Israel’s Labour, Social Affairs, and Social Services Ministry will begin rehabilitation workshops which focus on the inherent harm that comes with prostitution for both the prostitutes and the buyers of sex. Designated apartments have been set aside for women survivors of prostitution and their children to help them start new lives. Currently there are 13 centers for teenage and young prostitute survivors and 3 centers for older women. This program includes financial aid, a therapeutic program that prepares them for integration in employment and an educational program to help women develop academic and employment skills.

A survey found that, on average, 26,500 transactions for prostitution are made each day, and that a woman prostitute has to meet with an average of five and a half customers per day. Another finding was that 62 percent of women working as prostitutes in Israel are mothers. Many of the women expressed a desire to get out of prostitution; more than 76 percent said they would leave prostitution if they could and 71 percent said they remained prostitutes due to financial troubles. Since 2010, at least 104 women prostitutes have died, at the average age of 40. More

USA – The rise of sugar dating in Ottawa

University students are exploring the complicated world of trading time and affection for money and presents. Cate Newman talked to one student about her dates with older men, and local experts who claim sugar dating is on the rise. One girl nick-named Jess, said after trying it out that although it seemed fun to try out at first, she wouldn’t do it again. She’s not well off and recognizes the exploitation side of sugar dating. Ottawa is the 10th most lucrative city in North America for sugar dating. Carleton University has the fifth fastest growing sugar baby population of all Canadian universities with 414 students registered, while the University of Ottawa is ranked 10th with 390. 

According to personal reports of former sugar babies and the tragedy of deaths, the world of “sugar dating” is a candy-coated version of prostitution. While the exchange of sex for money is not explicitly stated, the expectation is clear. Wealthy, older men (and sometimes women) offer to “spoil” younger women (or sometimes men) with gifts, money, and trips, in exchange for their time and attention. This transactional dating is glamorized on the numerous sites that promote the practice. Photos of beautiful young women on the arms of handsome, silver foxes paint a sexy, enticing picture. But the reality is often far different. And far darker. The dangers are real especially since anonymity plays a role, this can often involve married older men, the possibility can also be that there is a con man or a psychopath. These situations describe the inherent dangers of prostitution as well and although numerous media articles seek to argue that there is a ‘clear difference’ between sugar dating and prostitution, there really is not. Article 1, Article 2.