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LIFEalerts – Euthanasia

Euthanasia

Belgium – Investigates alleged illegal euthanasia deaths

Belgium officials are investigating around ten euthanasia cases which may not have murder. In an anonymous letter to the public prosecutor, they say: “Our family member passed away two years ago, and we were told that euthanasia was presumed to have been carried out without the doctors informing us or following the necessary procedure. This is a very traumatic experience for us.” Two doctors were named in the letter. Belgium’s chief euthanasia overseer says that not every case of euthanasia gets reported to the committee, as it should, and doctors freely admit that. Potential for abuse was the among the concerns of euthanasia opponents and cases like these prove their concerns were right about the slippery slope. More

South Africa – New legal challenge attempts to legalise euthanasia

A new legal challenge was instituted in the Johannesburg High Court in August 2017 in an attempt to legalise physician assisted suicide (PAS) and active voluntary euthanasia (PAE). Currently, South African law deems these acts are prohibited and are treated either as murder or culpable homicide. The new case is expected to proceed to trial in early 2021 and Cause For Justice (CFJ) will be contributing to the case by legal arguments. CFJ’s main concern is that legalized euthanasia will result in a “cultural shift and slippery slope towards acceptance of death as a solution to human pain and suffering” (which has been the case in countries that have legalized it). See Fatal Flaws Documentary. More, Fatal Flaws.

Netherlands – Doctors can sedate dementia patients before euthanizing them

Doctor no longer have to agree with a patient on the time or manner in which euthanasia will be given, sedation is permissible if a patient is unable to communicate or becomes disturbed, agitated or aggressive in cases of severe dementia. Family members no longer need to be consulted either. This came when a doctor sedated a 74-year-old patient without her knowledge before killing her, was cleared of wrongdoing. Dutch euthanasia doctor Bert Keizer admitted that “those who embark on euthanasia venture down a slippery slope along which you irrevocably slide down to the random killing of defenceless sick people”. More

LIFEalerts – Paedophilia

Paedophilia

USA – New Legislation aims to ban sales & possession of sex dolls

A bill aiming to ban the sale and possession of sex dolls that look like children is before the U.S. House. This legislation is called the CREEPER Act 2.0. Patrick Trueman, the CEO and president of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation said “Recently, a mother discovered that an image of her 8-year-old daughter’s face was used on a sex doll being sold on the Internet.” The bill’s detractors say that sex dolls would be a form of harm reduction that meets the needs of individuals who would want to avoid harming real children, but no research exists to prove that this would prevent the actual abuse of children. Research does however exist that repeating this behaviour (especially sexual behaviour) actually has a normalising effect.

The Australian Institute of Chronology did a literature review on the research surrounding child sex dolls and found that it desensitizes the user from the harm that child sexual abuse causes because dolls don’t give any kind of emotional feedback that indicates pain and discomfort, maybe it even increases the risk of objectifying children and viewing them as sex commodities. Just like pornography which has been found to drive the demand for increased sexual exploitation. Some individuals start off watching normal soft porn but end up watching more extreme content to achieve the desired results. Extreme content includes violence against women, degrading of women, and an appetite for younger and younger ages. More

LIFEalerts – Pornography

Pornography

South Africa – No child is immune to the dangers online

The East Rand Child Protection (ERCP) Hotline was launched in October this year by Danie van Loggerenberg, the 13th Child Protection Hotline to be established in South Africa. Their goal is to take on any cases of child abuse, bullying or child neglect that can be reported to 071 523 9215. So far 1,000 children have been helped by ERCP and their network. Covid-19 has forced most children to online platforms for school, but at the same time opened them up to an ocean of pedophiles and bullies. One incident involved a 16-year-old boy who raped a 13-year-old girl after threatening to share explicit images of her far and wide. More, even more.

LIFEalerts – IVF & Surrogacy

IVF & Surrogacy

South Africa – Essentials and non-essentials during the covid-19 pandemic

Amrita Pande, an associate professor in the sociology department at the University of Cape Town, questions whether SA can justify investments in cutting-edge reproductive technology as essential during the pandemic while our health system is in a permanent state of crisis. Fearing that critical and scarce resources like personal protective equipment; hospital beds; operating rooms and emergency care, would be burdened if we pursue treatments that are not life-threatening. The causes of infertility, such as sexually transmitted infections, and poor medical treatment during an earlier birth or abortion, require affordable preventable measures rather high-cost and high-tech interventions that such patients cannot afford. More

LIFEalerts – IVF & Surrogacy

IVF & Surrogacy

USA – Study shows IVF babies are at greater risk for cancer

According to a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open this week, when compared to children conceived naturally, Children conceived with in vitro fertilization (IVF)  have a higher risk of developing cancer which authors of the study say is at a 2-fold increased risk. IVF-conceived children were also at a one-third greater risk of birth defects compared to their naturally-conceived counterparts. The study covered more than a million children conceived naturally and approximately 53,000 conceived by IVF. “With IVF births rising worldwide, further investigations into these associations are warranted,” the authors write. Read more

Japan – MP promotes IVF to boost birth rate

Japan’s biggest long-term problems are a low birth rate and a shrinking population. Incoming Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has pledged to provide insurance coverage for infertility treatments. He will also promote paternity leave for working fathers to ease the burden on working mothers. He has promised more help for single-parent households, more than half of which are living in poverty. Suga’s predecessor, Shinzo Abe, regarded the rapidly ageing population and falling number of births as a “national crisis,” and introduced free preschool education and day-care services. Read more

LIFEalerts – Alternative Medicine

Alternative Medicine

South Africa – Warning Over Bogus Beauty Treatment

Oxygen chamber therapy is a popular procedure in which users climb into an ozone pod with their head out of the top of the pod, while steam and oxygen mixture circulates inside the unit. It’s often punted as an anti-aging and detoxifying treatment. Typically, the marketing will claim that ozone therapy helps with everything from weight loss to skin rejuvenation, however medical doctor, Doctor Harris Steinman, Director – food and allergy consulting & testing Services says ozone therapy is a scam which can have harmful health consequences, not just to the skin, on inhalation, it can cause lung damage and there have been reported deaths from ozone therapy, he warns that unqualified people are administering ozone and making false health claims without any regulatory oversight. Read more

Australia – Immunity, stress relief vitamin                                                                                                                                 

The country’s chief group of general practitioners is warning consumers to treat alternative and complementary medicine products with a “great deal of caution.” Prof Shenouda said “Many alternative treatments lack any scientific evidence base of effectiveness to support their use. These products might have no beneficial effect and could even cause harm,” “My advice for anyone stressed or concerned about COVID-19 and their mental health is to avoid ‘quick fix’ products with no scientific basis, and instead contact your GP. “Your GP can give you expert medical advice on a whole range of treatment options, both medical and non-medical, that are right for you and your situation.” Read more

India – Ayurveda claims have no scientific basis  

Despite years of research and backing from the Indian government, as well as mainstream scientists speaking out about the misguided belief in “cow-pathy” which is faith in the protean curative properties of cow products – milk, cow urine, and dung. Currently, no cow product-based cure exists yet for any specific disease. This hasn’t however, prevented the Hindu government from using the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to promote the pseudoscience of AYUSH which stands for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy. Ayurveda has no scientific basis grounded in rigorous research. No evidence exists to make such claims. Yes, it is ancient, and it is uniquely Indian. But none of that makes it remotely scientific. Science is a set of ideas, hypotheses and results that are testable and tested, and either accepted or discarded depending on the objective evidence gathered in research studies that meet certain standards of reproducibility and repeatability. read more

Britain – Delaying cancer treatment, even by a month, sharply raises death risk                                                    

Researchers found that delays in treatment – whether for surgery, radiotherapy or other treatments such as chemotherapy – for seven types of cancers had a significant impact on patient mortality “There has never been a systematic attempt to look at all the evidence on what delays in different types of treatment mean for cancer patient outcomes,” said co-author Ajay Aggarwal, a clinical oncologist and associate professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “Because we know this is happening to cancer patients during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is essential to understand the real impact. “The study found that even a month postponement could mean a patient had a 6-13% higher risk of dying. Read more

Philippines – Integrative Medicine Vs Patent Medicine

Testimonials seem to show that alternative medicine works. However, medical testimonials are unacceptable in scientific journals, and court as well as for Food and Drug Administration approval, for three reasons. First, since some conditions are self-limiting, the improved condition may not be due to the intervention. For example, common colds disappear in about one week. Some cancers simply disappear without intervention.

Second, the symptoms of some diseases vary. Thus, the cessation of a symptom may not be due to the intervention. Third, the cure may be due to the placebo effect. Accepting an untested medical cure has three dangers. First, if the cure does not work, you will have wasted money. Secondly, if you don’t avail yourself of or discontinue a mainstream cure, you might deteriorate. Thirdly, if the unconventional approach is dangerous, your life will be at risk. For example, some leaves used as herbal medicine may contain toxic alkaloids. Read more

LIFEalerts – Paedophilia

Paedophilia

USA – Pedophilia Is Overlooked in Popular Culture

“Call Me By Your Name” is just one of the latest pieces of media to subtly justify its portrayal of pedophilia. One of the biggest consequences of pedophilia in popular culture on young children is that they begin to view themselves as sex objects, believing that their self-worth is based on sex and attraction. Furthermore, it creates a distorted image of what love and relationships should look like because this viewpoint is based on women being controlled and dominated by men rather than being treated equally. Pedophilia needs to be resolutely and visually punished when presented in media. If it is not, this form of media needs to be boycotted and not treated as socially acceptable in any way. Read more

USA – Maxwell denies witnessing ‘inappropriate’ activities

Miss Maxwell had long fought to keep the testimony secret. She will go on trial in a criminal case next year and has pleaded not guilty.  She is accused of helping Epstein traffic and sexually abuse underage girls and of perjury for denying involvement in such a scheme when she gave her deposition under oath.  In the deposition, which spans more than 400 pages, she repeatedly denies and dismisses numerous allegations, and insists she never saw the financier have sex with anybody.  McCawley, a lawyer for Miss Giuffre, said the unsealing of the deposition was “a long time coming and a welcome step towards revealing the evidence of the scope and scale of the Epstein and Maxwell sex trafficking ring.” Read more

LIFEalerts – Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse

USA – Medical Reports contradicts popular view on safety of smoking marijuana

Regular consumers of recreational marijuana or those about to become one, would be wise if they first considered medical evidence which contradicts the view that smoking marijuana is safe. Especially people with underlying cardiovascular conditions. Compared with tobacco, marijuana smoking causes a fivefold greater impairment of the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity. In a review of medical evidence, published in January in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers described a broad range of risks to the heart and blood vessels associated with the use of marijuana. Edible forms of marijuana have also been implicated as a possible cause of a heart attack, especially when high doses of the active ingredient THC are consumed.

Dr. Muthiah Vaduganathan, cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, was especially concerned about the increasing number of heart attacks among marijuana users younger than 50. In a registry of cases created by his colleagues, in young patients suffering a first heart attack, “marijuana smoking was identified as one factor that was more common among them.” A research team of the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute in New Orleans, wrote in the journal Missouri Medicine, citing case reports of inflammation and clots in the arteries of young adults who smoke marijuana. Another damaging effect that has been linked to marijuana is disruption of the heart’s electrical system, causing abnormal heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation that can result in a stroke. In one survey of marijuana smokers, the risk of stroke was increased more than threefold. These various findings suggest that a person need not have underlying coronary artery disease to experience cardiovascular dysfunction resulting from the use of marijuana. The researchers found that in an analysis of 36 studies among people who suffered heart attacks, the top three triggers were use of cocaine, eating a heavy meal and smoking marijuana. Read more

USA – Did legalizing cannabis prove to be a slippery slope to legalizing harder drugs?

Oregon state which has some of America’s highest rates of substance use and mental health problems has now has become the first US state to decriminalise possession of hard drugs, following a public referendum. People with small quantities of drugs including cocaine or heroin will escape prosecution, and may not even be fined. A statement signed by over two-thirds of Oregon’s District Attorneys said: “Decriminalization will lead to an increase in acceptability of dangerous drugs, normalizing hazardous experimentation for our youth and increasing accessibility, surging supply and lowering costs of dangerous street drugs.” The Oregon District Attorney’s Association warned that “this measure will tie the hands of law enforcement and prosecutors everywhere and lead to disastrous results for our communities”. more

Germany – Rejects recreational marijuana

A day after New Zealand voters rejected legalization of recreational marijuana, Germany’s Parliament does too. The German federal parliament soundly rejected a bill to legalize a “strictly controlled” adult-use cannabis market. The rejection came despite the fact that a majority of the members of the Bundestang belong to a political party that favors some type of reform. Read more here, and here

LIFEalerts – Sexual Exploitation

Sexual Exploitation

USA – Traumatic Brain Injury in prostituted women

In a 2010 study by Menon et al, Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as an “alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force.” Violence is pervasive in prostitution and can cause TBI. The study showed that among 66 women and transwomen in prostitution, 95% had sustained head injuries, either by being hit in the head with objects and /or having their heads slammed into objects. The women described acute and chronic symptoms such as dizziness, depressed mood, headache, sleep difficulty, poor concentration, memory problems, difficulty following directions, low frustration tolerance, fatigue and appetite and weight changes. Screening for TBI is crucial to the care of prostituted women. more

South Africa – The truth about human trafficking in South Africa

Whereas most crimes are generally reported to the police, trafficking is not, mainly because victims fear retaliation. Professor Beatri Kruger is a research fellow in the Centre for Human Rights at the University of the Free State and her research spans a decade. She sees more cases are coming to the forefront. For the past five years, the annual US Trafficking in Persons Reports has classified South Africa as a country of origin, transit and destination for trafficking. According to police statistics, 2 132 cases were reported to the SAPS from 2015 to 2017. Also the reality is confirmed by an increasing number of trafficking convictions.  If you need information or help, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 0800 222 777. more

UK – Headteacher fears for students’ safety in Leeds prostitution zone

A headteacher in Leeds has called for the scrapping of England’s only legal ‘red-light district’ because students have been approached for sex and he fears for their safety. A draft report from 227 pupils and residents have documented concerns about safety and fear of abduction while witnessing prostitutes doing business that have also brought drug dealers to the scene. A survey of 45 local parents by Voice of Holbeck found 53% did not feel safe themselves and 69% did not feel safe for their children. more

South Africa – A study that child trafficking definitely exists in our country.

A peer-reviewed academic paper published in a South African Journal called Child Abuse Research responds to claims made by SWEAT (Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce) and other interest groups. The author of the academic paper is Marcel van der Watt from the Department of Police Practice in the University of South Africa. SWEAT has claimed, among other things, that deception and force used in recruiting persons into prostitution is uncommon, they deny that many child prostitutes exist, and call it a myth to believe that the sex industry is dominated by organised criminal groups, and they also deny that Sex workers are typically controlled through drugs and addiction. However, Marcel’s research lays out numerous studies and statements from SAPS and other experts that brings SWEATs research and statements into question.

While SWEAT convinces the general public and other groups that “there’s nothing to see here” and legalizing prostitution would somehow be a good thing for South Africa (SA), many victims of trafficking stuck in a cycle of forced prostitution are at risk of never being rescued. Why would SA seek to rescue victims of trafficking if they are told there’s no such thing and that all women in prostitution are there because they want to be there? If SWEATs research is swallowed, then criminal activity is free to flourish unhindered. What woman would willingly choose to put herself at risk of Sexually Transmitted Infections with no prospect of retiring or being promoted (assuming prostitution was a real job)? What message would legalised prostitution send to our youth? Would it even let the youth in on everything they can expect from such a ‘profession’?  The fact is, “Over the past 30 years, however, the constellation of successfully prosecuted child trafficking cases, investigative reporting and documentaries, media reports, academic publications, masters and doctoral research, and a number of research reports has suggested, quite convincingly, that child trafficking and children in the sex trade is an indisputable and systemic reality in South Africa.” Read more

South Africa – Beware of human trafficking

Captain Linzi Smith urges young girls and boys to seek advice and do proper research before accepting any offers that seem too good to be true.  In keeping with Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Hillcrest SAPS communications officer, Capt. Linzi Smith has once again warned the public to not become victims. “The community, students, learners and parents should be aware of the dangers of trusting strangers who offer them lifts; offer them fast paying jobs or free scholarships. People need to guard themselves and know that if it seems too good to be true, it’s because most often they are,” said Smith.  She encouraged the community to work hand in hand with police in combating the increase in this crime. Read more

LIFEalerts – Pornography

Pornography

Thailand – Pornhub Has Been Blocked

According to Thailand’s cybercrime laws, internet pornography is illegal, which is why the country recently blocked some 190 websites inside the nation’s borders, preventing citizens from gaining access to them. Thailand has specifically blocked one of the biggest sites called PornHub and other online porn sites.  In recent news was the case of 22 women who were deceived and coerced by Michael Pratt, owner of GirlsDoPorn, into performing sex acts on film that were subsequently uploaded to Pornhub. Pornhub is being accused by hundreds & thousands of people around the globe of complicity in the mass sex trafficking and exploitation of women and girls and profiting from the worst kinds of sexual abuse. Read more here, and here

USA – Ending twin pandemics: COVID-19 and the sexual exploitation of children

Child online exploitation beyond the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an added level of horror for families trying to protect their children from Internet-related harms and parents. Prior to COVID-19, the online sexual exploitation of children was already at pandemic proportions. Online activity has now increased for kids due to virtual learning and an increased time indoors. Parents are concerned about the dangers associated with the use of digital tools and social media, where savvy sexual predators, traffickers and pornographers are aggressively preying on vulnerable children. By July of this year, Google Trends reported an 80% increase in parents searching for online help in dealing with cyberbullying. Alarmingly, kids under 10 years old comprise 22% of the online porn use. Read more

Russia – Illegal content removed from 188,000 websites with extremist information

Illegal content was removed from 188,000 websites publishing extremist materials like child pornography and the promotion of drugs and suicide according to Russia’s communications watchdog Roskomnadzor. The watchdog backs a bill on the introduction of administrative fines for failures to ensure secure and stable functioning of the internet over the territory of the Russian Federation. For these purposes, the law envisages that providers are to submit technical information to Roskomnadzor, so the agency could promptly take necessary measures in case of communications emergencies. The lawmakers believe the bill will close some legislative gaps available currently for the subjects of the regulations introduced in certain laws on communications, and protection of information, and informational technologies. more

Pakistan – Google, Twitter and Facebook threaten to leave Pakistan over new content rules

Global tech giants Google, Facebook & Twitter among others, have banded together and are threatening to leave Pakistan because of the country’s latest censorship laws. Under the new regulations, social media companies or internet service providers face a fine of up to $ 3.14 million for failing to curb the sharing of content deemed defamatory of Islam, promotion of the terrorism, hate speech, pornography or any content considered to endanger Security. Critics say the move was aimed at restricting free speech in the conservative Islamic nation. Previously Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan granted the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority the power to remove and block digital content that “harms, intimidates or excites disaffection with the government” or harms “the ‘integrity and security of Pakistan’. more