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LifeAlerts – Euthanasia

Euthanasia

USA – Euthanasia polling data may fail to capture people’s considered views

A new paper in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry find that public attitudes to euthanasia for patients with dementia change when they are presented with case studies of individuals with severe dementia who have made an advanced request for euthanasia. An online survey of 1700 US-based participants show 54% supported legalized euthanasia and 22.6% were unsure, but after reading the ethical and practical complexities of the scenarios, support decreased. The study authors say that it is not enough to ask whether advanced request for euthanasia should be legal following a description of life with dementia because it may fail to capture the public’s considered views. Rather, it is important that the public is given insight into the complexities of illnesses like dementia to avoid clouded public views. Read Bioedge, ajgponline

Canada – Wife Loses Lawsuit to Prevent Husband’s Euthanasia

According to Wesley J. Smith, euthanasia destroys the family bond. Imagine your spouse wants to be euthanized and you have no say over it, or if your depressed brother decides to be euthanized and you beg doctors not to kill him, to no avail. Both cases happened in Canada. One involving a wife trying to prevent her husband’s death by euthanasia but lost because the benefit of the doubt goes to death once euthanasia becomes legal. In Oregon a psychiatrist determined that an elderly woman with dementia was mentally unable to consent to assisted suicide, and believed her daughter was pushing for it, but it happened anyway. Read more

New Zealand – Underfunding no argument for assisted dying

In an upcoming referendum a vote on Euthanasia will be done. Pro-euthanasia, unsupported claims have been promoted in the media. Specialist doctor Sinead Donnelly is trained in palliative medicine, who decries the move to make underfunding and overworked staff the reason to euthanize the old and dying. Dr Donnelly says it’s a little like arguing that the car needs a clean so we should push it off a cliff. This “End of Life Choice Act” gives no choice for the patient but to die. The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners told Parliament they won’t be able to detect coercion or pressure in all cases with this test, and that there will be wrongful deaths under this law.

“Lawyers for Vulnerable New Zealanders advised that: “… under the Act a person could be dead within only a matter of days after being diagnosed, and without needing to tell any loved ones. There’s no mandatory cooling-off period between a request and the lethal prescription. That’s a serious flaw because terminally ill people can go through a whole range of emotions from day to day. If they’re caught in a moment of weakness and have the wrong people around them they could be dead within 72 hours”.

Every week as doctors we see cases where patients with advanced illnesses with limited prognosis who are also disabled, sick or mentally ill will, at their most vulnerable point, contemplate suicide. With the right care and medicine, the vast majority are brought out of this vulnerable state to a place of health. Under the proposed Act, those same people could be dead within 72 hours.” Read more

Canada – Organ donation increases after euthanasia

In 2016, Canada legalized euthanasia or Medical Aid in dying (MAiD), but since euthanasia was legalized organ donations increased. The CEO, Ronnie Gavsie, of the organization called Trillium insists that euthanasia is totally separate from organ donation and that they only provide the information to the dying patient and wait for them to decide. Yet there is a subtle sense of coercion since in the very next breath Ronnie says “it’s the right thing to do for those no the wait list.” Organs donated by euthanized patients are often of better quality than organs harvested from accident victims. There is more time to test them and find a match with potential recipients.

Wesley J. Smith commented in the National Review saying “The clear message being sent to suicidal, ill, and disabled Canadians – with the active support of the organ transplant community – is that their deaths can have greater value to Canada than their lives.” “Someday, Canada will probably dispense with the euthanasia part altogether and go straight to killing by organ harvesting—already being proposed bioethics and medical journals. Read more

Spain – Legalized euthanasia pressures elderly to die

According to an article by Francisco José Contreras, a lecturer in legal philosophy, Euthanasia once legalized will pressure the sick elderly to die. Francisco said that it will be easy to convince the elderly that the final stretch of their life, along with all the difficulties, is not worth being lived and that it is dignified not to impose one’s decay on others – exactly what the Nazi legislation used to justify the extermination of the deficient. In both The Netherlands and Belgium, once euthanasia became legal, the interpretation became increasingly lax. They have evolved from killing only terminally ill patients, to those with chronic illnesses; from killing people with physical illnesses, to people with psychological illnesses; from voluntary cases to killing people without their express permission. Read more

Belgium – Court clears Doctors for murder

A Belgian court has cleared three doctors accused of murder in the country’s first criminal case concerning euthanasia. The doctors were alleged to have unlawfully poisoned 38-year-old Tine Nys in April 2010 because she did not fulfil the conditions to be euthanized. The deceased’s family said that Nys did not have an incurable mental disorder. Belgian law allows adults to request euthanasia if they are facing unbearable physical or mental suffering resulting from a serious and incurable disorder. In the Netherlands, a doctor was cleared in a trial after being accused of failing to secure proper consent from a woman who had Alzheimer’s disease. Read more

Netherlands – Euthanasia now kills patients who could receive healing and hope

According to a file analysis by the Euthanasia Expertise Center requested by the Ministry of Public Health, Men turn to euthanasia more often because they suffer from addiction problems, and women more often suffered from mood disorders. The average age of women in this study is 50 years, of the men 49. A depressive mood disorder was the most common disorder across the board. Bullying, sexual abuse, or trauma played a role with relatively many patients. Many of these lives could have turned out differently if they had sought out counselling and support. Another example of how euthanasia has crossed the lines and become a slippery slope. Read more

Canada – No one talks about the cons of euthanasia

Hendrik van der Breggen, PhD, retired last year as Associate Professor of Philosophy at Providence University College, Manitoba, Canada. He feels that there are more cons to euthanasia that are often dismissed. For example; with the acceptance and expansion of euthanasia, our society will see suicide as a legitimate way of solving an individual’s problems. Life will no longer be seen as society’s default position. the elderly, terminally ill, disabled, and whoever else is suffering—must justify the continuation of their lives. Why should we spend so much money on healthcare for them? This may not be stated explicitly, but will be an unspoken assumption. Law professor Carter Snead correctly points out, a “subtle coercion.” Adding insult to injury. To those becoming handicapped or infirm we insult them as the most vulnerable with euthanasia by saying: We would rather be dead than be like you! If that isn’t an insult, what is?

If the choice or autonomy of the sufferer constitutes acceptable personal and legal grounds for euthanasia, then will suicide interveners have to add to their script some directions as to where euthanasia is available? Will National Suicide Prevention Week include some Suicide Promotion Days? Will suicide intervention or counselling against suicide become grounds for a lawsuit against the intervener or counsellor? If we kiss good-bye the above portion of the Hippocratic Oath, then we invite a deep change of character to the practice of medicine. Healers will be asked to be killers. Health care becomes careful killing. And those conscientious persons who refuse to kill will be discouraged from practicing medicine.

In conclusion: Ideas have consequences—and sometimes the consequences of bad ideas can be disastrous.

In view of the above cons, it would be wise for Canadians not to embrace euthanasia. Instead, we should do a better job of providing excellent palliative care—pain relief and life-enhancing dignity—for all who suffer. We should embrace a culture of life, not a culture of death. Read more

Germany – Death on demand comes to Germany

German people now have the right to kill themselves at any time and for any reason. The right to a self-determined death is not limited to situations defined by external causes like serious or incurable illnesses, nor does it only apply in certain stages of life or illness. Rather, this right is guaranteed in all stages of a person’s existence. One radical court ruling leads to another. The right to commit suicide could soon become a right to be killed. Since Germany’s absolute right to assist in suicide is open-ended and not limited to doctors, why not permit friends to kill friends? How can the state now restrict the taking and selling of addicting drugs? Drugs may be harmful, but if an autonomous person chooses to spend their days high, how can the state gainsay that decision or inhibit the commercial providers who supply the fixes? A culture that has lost its faith in life cannot comprehend why it should be endured.” If we don’t change our current cultural trajectory, we will become “Germany” too. Read more

UK – Academics says euthanasia saves money

Academics have argued how killing patients through assisted suicide in the United Kingdom would save money and provide organs for transplantation in a new report published in the journal of Clinical Ethics. Dr Gordon Macdonald, Chief Executive of Care Not Killing said that this report “exposes the real agenda” of assisted suicide and demonstrates the dangers of legalising assisted suicide and euthanasia. While the authors may not believe money is a motivation for assisted suicide there are some people who do. In the US states of Oregon and Washington the majority of those ending their lives cite fear of being a burden on their families and finances.”  Read more at Lifesitenews, Sagepubjournals

Texas – Disabled man euthanized without his consent

In Texas, a disabled, 46-year old African American man named Michael Hickson, was euthanized without his consent or that of his wife. Michael contracted COVID-19 and was admitted to hospital. Melissa, his wife, was given no choice over whether he lived or died. Melissa recorded her conversation with the doctor who said it was better to euthanize Michael because he is paralyzed and not like “walking and talking people.” Giving her husband food, water, oxygen and medicine would not have been a burdensome treatment, and the hospital had plenty of space. The doctor made clear that the issue was his disability. The National Council on Disability is calling for an investigation into the hospital for violating Michaels civil rights. Read more

USA – Girl kills herself with the help of assisted suicide website

Shawn Shatto who was dealing with depression and anxiety for years and seeing a therapist. A website provided Shawn with lethal directions and encouraged her to die by suicide through cheering her on by telling her what kind of drugs to mix in order to kill herself, and by wishing her ‘good luck and ‘safe travels.’ Shawn’s mom has been advocating for “Shawn’s Law” Which “strengthens penalties against anyone who assists in a suicide, especially anyone under the age of 18 or has a mental disability. Shawn’s Law has passed the House, and is now in the Senate. Read more

LifeAlerts – Abortion

Abortion

USA – People tweet photos of their unborn children

A tweet resurfaced from 2018 of Sen. Kamala Harris advocating against a ban on abortions past 20 weeks. People reacted to the reappearance of this tweet by posting photos and sonograms of their children at 20 weeks or earlier, denouncing Harris’s pro-abortion platform and call for ban. Others shared photos of babies prematurely born around 20 weeks, fully developed and alive. Harris is a long time pro-abortion activist with a long congressional record supporting the movement.

According to Dr Chris Warton, Lecturer on Human Anatomy, embryology and neuroscience at the University of Cape Town, there is no specific event which defines the developing fetus as being at 19 weeks. The unborn baby’s heart starts beating at 24 days (3 ½ weeks), the brain is active by 5 weeks, fingers appear at 7 weeks, toes at 8 weeks, fetal movements happen between 9 and 12 weeks. Dr Warton was recently spokesperson for a webinar hosted by Doctors For Life on the Humanity of the Unborn. The Federalist, Dr Warton’s expert summary

UK – Mother gets hate mail for not aborting her children

A British mother of four children, two of whom are autistic, reported this month that she received hate mail telling her she should have aborted her disabled children. Samantha Kenny does a lot of campaigning online and has experienced this kind of remarks but never expected it to come to her door and was rather shocked and saddened. Pressure to abort is not uncommon, many women report being pressured by boyfriends and parents. A recent case study this year June showed that 50% of women who had abortions were pressured into it. 77% said they regretted it. This is not a choice this is an ultimatum which the woman is given and it should be illegal. LiveAction, Study

China – Group of Chinese doctors propose killing unwanted babies by microwaving them

A group of Chinese doctors has published a proposal for killing unwanted unborn twins or triplets by microwaving them. This is to selectively destroy one of two or more unborn babies sharing a placenta, and they published their protocol in the British Medical Journal in August. This is a procedure in which heat from radio waves is used to cauterize human tissue, often to stop nerves from signaling pain to the brain or to kill small tumors. As an abortion method, a needle is inserted in the twin, and an electrical current passes through it, essentially boiling the fetus alive. Read more

USA – Four Pro-Life laws might soon go into effect

Four Arkansas pro-life laws may soon be allowed to be enforced to protect unborn babies from dismemberment abortions after a federal appeals court ruled in favour of the state. State Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said in a statement celebrating the victory that “Arkansas has taken a strong stance to protect the unborn from inhumane treatment,” The laws include; protecting the unborn from Dismemberment Abortions – typically referred to as dilation and evacuation, protecting unborn babies from discriminatory sex-selection abortions, requiring the remains of aborted babies to be buried or cremated and lastly, to report evidence of sexual abuse of young girls under 14 to authorities. Eleven other states have already passed laws to ban dismemberment abortions. Read more

USA – New study shows medical community effective in keeping extreme preemies alive

According to the US Supreme Court, viability is the determining factor of whether or not unborn babies should be protected from abortion or not. Viability is actually the earliest point at which technology can keep a baby alive outside the womb. A new study published February this year in the Journal of Pediatrics now shows that the medical community has become very effective in keeping extreme preemies alive and sent home to their families. The study looked at 255 infants born between 22 and 25 weeks’ gestation, and showed that 78% survived that were born between 22 and 23 weeks, and 89% of those born between 24-25 weeks survived. What’s more, 64% of the surviving babies in both categories experienced “no or mild neurodevelopmental impairment.”

What does this mean for the abortion industry?

For a start, viability is now receding earlier and earlier and this is exciting news for parents, but the abortion industry would rather keep this secret because late-term abortion is lucrative. It is also carefully guarded from public view because the killing of babies past the point of viability has the least support among public opinion. As viability slips earlier into pregnancy, the vast percentage of American opinion against abortion follows. With time and the advancement of technology, a stronger case is being made for an America without abortion. Read more

USA – Panel to review applications for use of foetal tissue is established

Earlier this year the Trump Administration established a panel to review applications to use foetal tissue. Scientists are to be funded only if there are no adequate alternatives and if acquisition and disposal of the tissue are ethical. Human foetal tissue research has been touted as a pathway to studying the coronavirus as well as HIV, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. However, in the United States this is extremely controversial because of opposing views on the status of the foetus.  Science magazine complained that the panel is stacked with members who oppose abortion, and calls the use of tissue from induced abortions “scientific necessity”. Read more

USA – Alabama abortion facility under investigation for woman’s death

In May 2020, after a woman who had an abortion at the West Alabama Women’s Center died, a coalition of pro-life groups decided to look into the incident. The pro-life groups filed complaints against the facility since it was found that they never called 911 even though the woman looked unwell, struggled to walk, and needed help getting into the parking area. The Alabama Department of Public Health refused to investigate since someone other than an ambulance crew drove her to the hospital where she died later that same day. The abortionist who saw the woman, conveniently retired in July after the incident. When patient deaths are ignored it only makes abortion more dangerous, because it cultivates an understanding that there will never be consequences, even if a woman dies. Read more

USA – Abortion boils down to whether it’s okay to kill a baby or not

Claire Chretien holds a bachelor’s degree, is a journalist and Editor. Claire has written thousands of articles on Abortion and other topics. She writes how America legalized “the murder of whole, distinct, living human beings,” when it legalized abortion and argues that abortion is not about women’s empowerment, or “choice” but rather about whether it should be legal to violently kill a tiny, growing baby inside the mother’s womb. Claire points out how hard cases like rape, and the dehumanization of the unborn baby are nothing more than tactics used to justify killing babies. When we March for Life, we should mourn the innocent little souls that could not cry or scream to defend themselves. Read more

Africa – Abortion kills Africa’s youngest and most vulnerable

A leading African pro-life advocate says Canada’s prime minister should not have been allowed to speak in her continent because of his commitment to funding the killing of pre-born African babies. Culture of Life Africa founder and president Obianuju Ekeocha, creator of the documentary Strings Attached exposes the brutality, deception and criminality that underlies the Western world’s exporting of abortion and contraception to Africa. Strings Attached documents the fact that countless millions of aid dollars poured into Africa go not for education, clean water or basic medical needs for mothers and babies, but fill the coffers of international abortion-peddlers such as Marie Stopes.

Ekeocha secretly video recorded Paul Cornelissen, regional director for South Africa of Marie Stopes International, confirming in a meeting that: “We do illegal abortions all over the world.” Moreover, in calls made to various Marie Stopes clinics throughout Africa, most clinics were willing to refer women for illegal abortions, and some to commit the abortions. Read more

USA – Justices say abortion rights could potentially be seeing a legal rollback

The Supreme Court is taking a new look at abortion access in America. Justices say that this could be the start of potential legal rollback of broader abortion rights. The issue is that the state requires abortionists to have admitting privileges to a nearby hospital. Abortion supporters oppose this requirement and claim that this will somehow interfere with abortion access but, The Alliance Defending Freedom calls it “common-sense protections that ensure the maximum safety for women.” So many reports of women experiencing abortion procedure complications, and sometimes death, have surfaced in multiple articles from the UK and across America. State attorneys have also pointed out saying that “Louisiana abortion clinics have a history of serious health and safety problems.” Read more; Foxnews, bmcmedicine, cambridge, Ic.ord, Docs.house.gov, Women Who Suffered Emotionally from Abortion: A Qualitative Synthesis of Their Experiences

USA – Do unborn babies feel pain and when?

The question of fetal pain was first raised decades ago. During certain in utero surgeries, unborn children have been seen flinching, grimacing, and moving away from pain. Because of this observation, it has become normal to use anaesthesia during these in utero surgeries. Some states restrict abortions in certain circumstances after 24 weeks since “the baby can feel pain,” according to previous standard thought. But a brand-new study now shows that it is possible for a fetus to feel pain as early as 12 or 13 weeks’ gestation, which calls into question the accepted thoughts and practices on the matter in the medical field and in society at large. 

John Bockmann is a physician’s assistant in the army and he focussed his research toward understanding fetal pain. While delving into the topic of fetal pain, Bockmann realized that the previous understanding about fetal pain was based on a false presumption: that the cortex, which does not develop until about 24 weeks, is responsible for sensations, including the pain sensation. It has been shown in other research that even humans born without a cortex can feel experience pain and emotion. Watch here

USA – Pro-abortion groups oppose safety measures for women

In an interview with Lila Rose founder of Live Action, Fox News Host Tucker Carlson asked why abortion supporters are so angry if having an abortion makes them happy? This is because abortion activists are opposing two humane Louisiana laws that would safeguard women by requiring abortionists to make arrangements for admitting women to nearby hospitals in the event of life-threatening procedural complications, and to transfer infants who survive abortions to hospitals. Lila replied saying that this angry behaviour is because of the pain experienced through abortion and that’s why they have to keep justifying it. It’s the antithesis of women’s empowerment to say in order to have a nice car and nice house, I have to kill my child.” Read more

USA – Abortion providers ask for exemption from safety regulations

State abortion providers are challenging a Louisiana law that, in case of emergency, requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. Abortion-rights advocates lobbying against the law are essentially demanding that they be exempted from the safety standards properly applied to every other type of surgical medical procedure. Why would an industry that claims to prioritize women’s health fight regulation aimed at ensuring that women who seek abortions can receive emergency care?

Louisiana is also suggesting that abortion providers do not have standing to challenge state regulations aimed at protecting women, especially because of their distinct financial interest in performing abortion procedures. abortion providers actually have a conflict of interest with women when it comes to safety laws. If the Court were to determine that abortion providers cannot challenge abortion regulations on behalf of women, it would drastically reduce the number of cases brought against state laws seeking to protect women from unsafe abortion practices.

In the course of defending its law, Louisiana has provided abundant evidence that abortion providers in the state have a history of violating other state laws such as; refusing to ensure that staff members are competent medical professionals, failed to report possible rapes of minors, hired radiologists and ophthalmologists to perform abortions, and neglected basic medical practices such as failing to monitor the vital signs of sedated women. Another important detail in the case is that Louisiana’s admitting-privileges law treats abortion providers the same way that it treats all medical professionals who perform surgeries. Read more

USA – More states pass pro-life bills

Wyoming state has become the latest state to ensure life-saving care for babies who survive botched abortions, thanks to a bill that just cleared its final legislative hurdle. The law requires physicians to provide care for children delivered alive after failed abortions, even if a baby is deemed to have a condition “incompatible with life.” Physicians who fail to do so would face as many as 14 years in prison. Oklahoma state moves to ban abortions as soon as an embryonic or fetal heartbeat is audible or if fetal brain waves are detected which occurs at around six weeks’ gestation. Read more; Lifesite, Tulsaworld

USA – Pro-abortion professor changes his mind about fetal pain

The following discussion on fetal pain does not attempt to suggest having an abortion procedure should depend upon whether or not an unborn baby can feel pain or not. Especially since there are thousands of Biology and embryology textbooks, modern DNA studies, Medical Dictionaries, Science professors and medical researchers that all confirm that life begins at fertilization. This is a scientific certainty that alone should discourage abortion. Furthermore, it is also well documented how women suffer emotionally, psychologically and in the long term physically due to choosing an abortion. This discussion of fetal pain is to share new insight on previous thought standards that are now changing because of new research on the cortex.

British psychology professor Stuart Derbyshire and John C. Bockmann, a physician’s assistant in the U.S. Army, published a paper in the Journal of Medical Ethics titled “Reconsidering fetal pain.” They conclude that according to several published papers on the necessity of the cortex for pain experience may have been exaggerated, for example, one study demonstrated continued pain experience in a patient with extensive damage to cortical regions generally believed to be necessary for pain experience. A further study has demonstrated activation of areas generally thought to generate pain in subjects congenitally insensitive to pain but receiving noxious stimuli. Those two studies appear to neatly dissociate pain experience from the cortex. In conclusion unborn babies can feel pain at 18 to 20 weeks, and possibly as early as 12 or 13 weeks. Read/watch more; read, read, & watch

UK – British doctor: at-home abortions injure women and can lead to death

The UK has loosened its guidelines to allow chemical abortions to be committed at a woman’s home, under the guidance of a doctor through Facetime, Skype, or telemedicine. As a result, Dr Gregory Gardner, a general practitioner and an honorary lecturer at Birmingham University is sounding the alarm. Dr Gardner submitted a report to the High Court to overturn this decision. The report outlines how the abortion pill regimen has numerous associated risks such as; death and other complications such as haemorrhage, infection, sepsis, and psychological trauma. It would be unwise to leave a woman in that state. It would also be impossible to detect if a woman is being coerced into having an abortion to cover up a rape crime.  At-home abortions would not be safe practice due to the risk of serious injury and harm being done to women self-administering Mifepristone and Misoprostol at home. Despite what the abortion advocates say, the abortion pill regimen is not easy, painless, or without complications. Women regularly experience pain and trauma, with extremely heavy bleeding for days on end. Read more

Mexico – Mexico passes pro-life education law

Mexican state legislatures passed an education reform bill on 21 May to foster a “respect for life from conception to natural death” in students. The law reflects the state constitution, which affirms that “the state recognizes, protects and defends the right to life that every human being has. From the moment of conception that life comes under the protection of the Law and is considered as having been born with regards to all corresponding legal effects until its natural death.” state legislator Juan Carlos Leal, who introduced the education reform bill, said “We want to create a new generation of students that have values and respect, which unfortunately in Mexico, we have seen is being lost,” Read more

Poland – Polish president supports banning eugenic abortions against disabled babies

Abortions are currently illegal in Poland except that in cases of disability or abnormality in the preborn baby comprise 98% of legal abortions in Poland. But Earlier in April, Polish lawmakers debated a bill that changes this. Kaja Godek, a pro-life legislator, rightly described the bill as protection for disabled children. Polish President Andrzej Duda said in an interview “I am a strong opponent of eugenic abortion and I believe that killing children with disabilities is frankly murder. If the plan finds itself on my desk, I will in all certainty sign it.” Read more

USA – Defund Abortion providers to save black lives

Matt Walsh an American writer, actor and director wrote a piece on Black Lives Matter in Daily Wire. He said “defunding the police is sure to kill many more black people than it saves, defunding Planned Parenthood, and then abolishing abortion entirely, is sure to save many millions of lives while costing none.” Abortion has destroyed over 60 million people in the USA since Roe v. Wade. In some American cities, the situation has gotten so bad that more black babies are aborted than born. Planned Parenthood kills close to 100,000 black people every year. For comparison sake, police killed 1,000 people total last year — white, black, armed, and unarmed. Read more

England –  British court grants review of at-home abortions

In March this year, the British government permitted women up to 10 weeks pregnant to self-administer abortion pills, at home without a medical practitioner present. In June the court decided on a judicial review to question the legality of this decision during the covid-19 lockdown. The Abortion Act stipulates that abortions may take place only in hospitals run by the National Health Service and in “approved” clinics. The second is that permitting women to perform abortions on themselves is directly contrary to the aims of the Abortion Act, “which is to prevent ‘backstreet abortions’ and ensure that the abortions take place in safe [sic] and hygienic conditions.” Read more

USA – Ruling allows US to limit taxpayer funding of pro-abortion foreign groups

The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the federal government can limit funding for international organizations based on their policy positions. USAID’s rule says that foreign affiliates of humanitarian organizations must have policies opposing prostitution and sex trafficking in order to receive any US funding to combat HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Foreign organizations said this rule was a violation of their free speech, but SCOTUS’ ruling said that international affiliates do not have First Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution. In terms of abortion, this ruling could allow the federal government to withhold funding from international organizations, even those affiliated with organizations in the United States, which commit abortions or refer for abortions. Read more

USA – Trump Admin reverses rule forcing doctors to participate in ‘sex-changes,’ and abortions.

Last month the Trump administration announced the reversal of a 2016 “anti-discrimination” rule which would have required healthcare providers receiving federal funds to perform “gender transition” operations and abortions. now the Department of Health and Human Services has announced that they will “enforce Section 1557 by returning to the government’s interpretation of sex discrimination according to the plain meaning of the word ‘sex’ as male or female and as determined by biology.” Read more

Belgium – Vote to decriminalize abortion blocked for a third time

In Belgium, four government parties joined forces to block yet another attempt at decriminalizing abortion. The law would extend the current 12-week abortion window to 18th week. At this stage the baby already has a heartbeat, brain wave activity (which can be measured), is sensitive to noises, can feel pain, can swallow and pull faces. The baby at this stage also has fingers and toes with nails. Of course, those who support baby killing through abortion make this about ‘rights’ and not about science, and so deny the humanity of the unborn. Read more

USA – Abortionist admits to discouraging women from going to the emergency room when having complications.

Three abortionists are being sued for the 2017 death of Keisha Atkins after a late-term abortion in New Mexico. The video shows one abortionist admitting to telling patients they are not to contact emergency personnel if something goes wrong. The women were not given a list of potential risks as would be normal for any procedure performed or medication administered.  The abortionist claims that emergency personnel are not qualified to care for the woman’s needs. The problem with this argument is that women do not visit emergency rooms to get abortion procedures but instead to seek emergency care when an abortion has gone wrong, and they are in pain, injured, or possibly dying.

In that case, women do not need to see an abortionist, whose primary aim is to make sure the preborn baby does not survive, and who has a vested interest in making sure botched abortions never become public knowledge. Atkins suffered from sepsis, a bacterial infection caused by the four-day abortion process, which brought about symptoms consistent with Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC). Atkins suffered haemorrhaging in her brain and left adrenal gland, a build-up of fluid around her lungs, and other symptoms of DIC that the autopsy ignored. Read more

USA – Dozens of legislatures demand update on investigation on abortion industry

Over 60 members of Congress asked the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide an update report of the DOJ’s investigation into Planned Parenthood (PP) and its affiliates, as well as to explain the steps it is taking to prioritize the enforcement of fetal trafficking laws altogether. This comes after the release of a video by the Center for Medical Progress showing PP executives admitting under oath to selling body parts of aborted babies. Another video contains a sworn testimony of abortion industry officials admitting to awareness of babies being born alive, and suggesting that they are murdered soon after. The legislators call these admissions morally repugnant and a federal crime. Read more

USA – Investigation underway of abortion center linked to Pornhub trafficking case of minor

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is calling on the Department of Law Enforcement to investigate an abortion center that provided an abortion to a 15-year-old girl. The girl was brought in by her trafficker who tried covering up his crime. The girl was repeatedly raped and filmed in videos that were uploaded to Pornhub. The goal of the investigation is to find out whether the abortion center failed to report abuse or neglect of the minor and if such failure enabled the further exploitation of the victim in this case. Read more

USA – Judge strikes down rule to compel abortion clinics to report on complications after abortion procedure

An Indiana federal judge struck down an Act which was passed in March 2018. Act 340 required that all doctors in the state annually report any treatment of 26 different conditions known to be potential abortion complications. These conditions included perforation of the uterus or cervix, infections, haemorrhaging, blood clots, cardiac or respiratory arrest, and emotional or psychological conditions. According to the judge, the statute lacks the standard to guide physicians in determining whether a condition qualifies as an abortion complication. The judge did uphold a section of the same Act that mandates annual inspections of abortion facilities, saying that the State had offered “at least a plausible explanation for the decision to subject abortion clinics to stricter inspection requirements.” Read more

Belgium – Woman kills her children because she grieves her aborted child

Three years after Julie Lambotte’s abortion of her daughter with Down syndrome, the Belgian woman admitted to police that she murdered her other three children out of grief and guilt due to post-abortion trauma. Julie drowned her 22-month-old daughter in the bathtub and stabbed her other two daughters (a seven and a nine year-old), killing her seven year-old and leaving her nine year-old in a serious but stable condition in the hospital. According to Julie, she committed the crimes because she “missed her little girl,” with her violent spree taking place shortly after the three-year anniversary of her abortion.

Dr. Priscilla Coleman, a tenured full Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Bowling Green State University, has researched abortion trauma. “An unbiased and valid synopsis of the scientific literature on increased risks associated with abortion would include depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders (including PTSD), as well as suicide ideation and behaviors,” “The literature now echoes the voices of millions of women for whom abortion was not a liberating, health-promoting choice: A conservative estimate from the best available data is 20 to 30 percent of women who undergo an abortion will experience serious and/or prolonged negative consequences.”

In numerous countries around the world, particularly in Europe, women with a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome or other conditions are frequently pressured to abort.

A company which recently introduced a new prenatal screening to Nigeria openly said they hoped it would lead to Down syndrome being “wiped out.” In Iceland, this has already happened, as almost 100 percent of preborn children with Down syndrome in the country are aborted. Women in the Netherlands have been told they have a “moral duty” to abort their babies with Down syndrome. In the United Kingdom, 90% of women with a prenatal diagnosis have an abortion, and similarly, in the United States, women are frequently pressured to abort their children with Down syndrome.

It’s no different in Belgium, where over 90 percent of babies with Down syndrome are aborted.

Women frequently experience overwhelming pressure to abort, and it’s also becoming more apparent that abortion trauma is real, as the majority of the scientific literature on the subject has revealed. Read more

USA – Global findings prove pro-life laws effective

According to a recent study from 166 countries between 1990 and 2019, pro-life laws work. The Lancet Global Health released this interesting study this week showing how the incidence of abortion is affected by its legal status. Between 2015 and 2019, in countries where abortion was mostly legal, 70% of women with unintended pregnancies chose abortion. During the same time period, only 50% of women with unintended pregnancies chose abortion if they lived in a country that offered preborn children some legal protection.

Other studies claimed that legal status has little effect on a countries’ abortion rate. But the problem with these studies is that most of the countries with legal restrictions on abortion are located in South America, Africa, and the Middle East, where countries tend to have higher poverty rates, higher unintended-pregnancy rates, and a high incidence of other social pathologies, all of which may increase the demand for abortion.

It is worth noting that four of the authors of this Lancet study are affiliated with the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute. Unsurprisingly, Guttmacher is spinning the findings to attack pro-life laws and advocate increased spending on contraception programs. They say that abortions still happen in countries where it is legally restricted and argue that increased access to contraceptives is responsible for the worldwide decline in unintended-pregnancy rates. What’s more, some studies analyzing fertility rates across countries have found that availability of contraception has little effect on unintended-pregnancy rates. Read more

USA – More charges dropped against pro-life journalist

Additional charges against two pro-life investigative journalists have been dropped in the case of The People of the State of California vs. David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of the Center for Medical Progress (CMP). In a hearing held over Zoom on Tuesday, two of the 10 charges against Merritt and one of the 10 against Daleiden were dropped. Daleiden and Merritt are the undercover journalists from CMP responsible for exposing the fetal body part trafficking scandal taking place at Planned Parenthood affiliates around the nation. The charges that remain for the journalists include recording Planned Parenthood staffers without their consent. However, the recordings took place in public spaces within earshot of other individuals, including waitstaff. Read more

USA – New survey shows women change their minds about abortion pill availability

Pro-Life Live Action group conducted an investigative report in consultation with the American Association of Pro-Life OB/GYNS. The new survey played an informational video to respondents of which 45% supported availability of the abortion pill and 31% did not. After watching the video about the abortion pill and how it affects women and children, the 45% in support dropped to 39%, and the 31% who opposed the abortion pill rose to 42%. Those who changed their minds were asked why, and the top two responses were seeing information about prenatal development and understanding that the abortion pill works by killing a human life or a baby. Read more, Survey results

USA – New case study finds many women left damaged and changed for the worst after abortions

A case study which analyses the testimonies of women who took the abortion pill was published this year in June. The study found that 83% of the women said they have been changed by their abortions, 77% said the change was negative, 77% regretted their abortions, 60% reported feelings of isolation and alienation, 38% reported problems with anxiety, depression, drug abuse, and/or suicidal thoughts as a result of the abortion, and 50% said the baby’s father or other family members used negating language as a means to pressure them into having abortions. Keeping the baby was portrayed in a negative light. The women also expressed feeling lied to by abortions workers and said they were poorly prepared for the experience. Read more, study

USA – Flawed study claims most women do not regret abortions

The study, known as the Turnaway Study, is the subject of a new book titled “The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having—or Being Denied—an Abortion,” by Diana Greene Foster, PhD. In short, this study claims that most women do not regret their abortion and do not suffer emotionally. But Dr Priscilla Coleman, a professor of human development and family studies calls the composition of the sample studied flawed because initially, only 37.5% of the women who were invited to participate agreed to participate, and then, across the study period, 42% dropped out. So the final results are based on 22% of eligible women.” Said Coleman.

The study may also have put two women who had abortions at considerably different points in their pregnancies together in the same research group. She said that many of these delineations were not made clear by the study’s authors, which further complicates their conclusions. “Not every woman’s going to regret her abortion or have mental health problems, but there’s an increased risk. And so that’s something women have a right to know about prior to undergoing the procedure.” “Most of the literature–the peer-reviewed scientific articles–indicate that a significant percentage of women are at risk for regretting their abortions,” “There are hundreds of studies and if (women seeking abortions) are only given the results of the Turnaway Study, they’re not being informed, they’re being misled. And that’s problematic in my view.”

Coleman has testified as an expert on abortion and mental health in state and civil cases involving abortion, in state legislative hearings on abortion, before a U.S. Congressional committee, and to legislatures in the United Kingdom and Australia. Read more

LifeAlerts – Same Sex Attraction

Same Sex Attraction

Australia – Australian Rugby urged to ban men from women’s game

Senator Claire Chandler, a senior politician, issued a demand that Rugby’s governing body in Australia must intervene to stop biological men from playing the women’s game. World Rugby currently allows men to play in the women’s game after twelve months of testosterone reducing treatment. Latest research shows that a reduction of testosterone “does not lead to a proportionate reduction in mass, muscle mass, strength or power”, presenting a “clear safety risk”. It calculates biological male players “are stronger by 25-50%, are 30% more powerful, 40% heavier, and about 15% faster” than women. Rugby Union already has one of the highest incidence of reported injuries in professional team sport. Read more

USA – Censoring medical information critical of total affirming LGBT approach proves to be trending

Retail giant Amazon has removed a book outlining the medical and psychological dangers associated with same-sex sexual acts from its website. Some say it is further evidence of a larger censorship trend. The book, Health Hazards of Homosexuality, compiles data taken from major medical professional groups, the Centers for Disease Control, and other sources, including LGBT medical and advocacy organizations. Amazon also pulled books from authors who exited the LGBT lifestyle. Journalist Abigail Shrier’s book Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters was also disallowed by Amazon. Shrier’s book is an investigative work that scrutinizes the steep rise in teens that transgender. Read more

UK – New study shows more evidence of correlation between autism and transgender

According to a new study by scientists at the University of Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre, transgender and gender-diverse adults are three to six times more likely to be diagnosed as autistic. The research used data from over 600,000 adult individuals and confirms previous smaller-scale studies from clinics. Transgender and gender-diverse individuals were also found to be more likely to have had received diagnoses of mental health conditions, particularly depression. Dr Varun Warrier, who led the study, said that the co-occurrence between being autistic and being transgender and gender-diverse is robust. What is now needed, is to figure out a way to help these individuals. The study did not investigate if one causes the other. Read more

USA – Study makes false claim about children knowing their gender

According to a report by the National Academy of Sciences, transgender children have a sense of their “true gender”, But the study contradicts itself in the following way: The study says some 300 transgender kids prefer toys and clothes that match their gender identity, not their birth sex. Well, of course. The kids surveyed were already either identifying as transgender, so it’s impossible to tell from the study whether their toy and clothing preferences were innate. The results were baked into the cake. The study contradicts itself by saying how transgender feelings can change. How can this study affirm that gender identity is real and valid, while also suggesting that children can later revert back to their sex at birth? Read more Here

USA – Medical professionals take advantage of minor’s emotional immaturity

A recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests that provision be made for intervention to “transition” children against their parents’ will. The authors prioritize the developing autonomy of transgender minor’s in the decision-making process. In fact, a range of scientific literature indicates that reinforcing gender confusion is harmful in the long term, and often fails to prevent significant emotional harm up to and including attempted suicide (with or without surgery). Fixating on “gender affirmation” tends to distract from exploring other issues that may be at the root of a patient’s mental or emotional unrest. Minors are emotionally and physically underdeveloped, and unable to fully comprehend what it means to transition.

Dr. Michelle Cretella, president of the American College of Pediatricians has said that Other studies have found that while there is a “honeymoon period” of “reported relief and happiness” following sex change surgery, it does not last. “Ten years beyond transition, however, rates of additional mental illness begin to rise precipitously, to the point that thirty years following surgical transition (mutilation), the suicide rate is 19 times greater than that of the general population.” “Do not be fooled. like all trans youth studies before it, it is a political agenda masquerading as science,” Read more Here, here, here, here and here

USA – Men identifying as transgender females to get access to female prisons

An inmate at Illinois’ largest women’s prison says she was raped by a transgender inmate and that the officials conducted a “sham investigation” to help cover up the incident. Males have been claiming to be transgender females and getting transferred to female prisons. In an attempt to justify the transfers, the officials covered up the sexual assault and tried to falsely classify it as consensual, to keep it from being considered a prison rape. Female inmates are suffering under the so-called transgender laws which attempts to force society to accept the false idea that people can change their genders. Read more

UK – landmark court case could change the way childhood gender dysphoria is treated

A woman who received treatment for Gender Dysphoria (GD) as a teenager says the puberty-delaying drugs and testosterone prescribed to her has caused irreversible damage to her physical and mental health. Keira Bell is now taking Tavistock (gender affirmation clinic) to court. Keira says her transition was a “coping mechanism” and that there was no real investigation into the other mental health issues she was going through. Keira adds that the transition left her feeling more depressed and suicidal and solved nothing. Sky News research suggested that 35 psychologists have resigned from the children’s gender-identity service in three years. Six of them have now raised concerns about hormone treatment being given to children with GD. Read more

Australia – Gender clinics operate with weak evidence

According to a new global watchdog body called, the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM), many mainstream doctors are unaware that children’s hospital gender clinics carry out invasive medical treatments based on low-quality evidence. US physician William Malone, the spokesman for SEGM explained that the best treatment for such children should be found through scientific study, investigation and open debate. There has been an exponential rise in troubled teenagers seeking to transition. Many reportedly come to gender clinics with pre-existing mental health problems, autism, suppressed same-sex attraction, a history of child sex abuse or family trauma, and there is debate about whether they are getting the right treatment. Scrutiny of the transgender “affirmative” treatment model is intensifying, and inquiries or reviews are underway in Australia, the UK, Sweden, Brazil and Germany. Read more | See video one & two

USA – Multiple states respond to transgender laws

Arizona & Ohio state recently passed a “Save Women’s Sports Act” that bans biological males who identify as transgender females from participating in women’s sports. Recent research verifies that even with taking cross-sex hormones, men have an unequivocal advantage since they have stronger bones and greater lung capacity, etc. Alabama passed a bill that criminalizes sex-related surgeries, prescribing opposite sex hormones, and drugs used to arrest puberty to gender-confused youth under the age of 19. It’s reported that England is also expected to drop plans that would have made it easier for people to change their gender amid concerns about the impact on children. Read more: foxnews, Redstate, Dailywire, Lifesitenews

USA – “Gender-neutral” bathroom shuts down after sexual assault on student

A high school in Wisconsin shuttered its inclusive gender-neutral bathroom after an 18-year-old student was arrested for fourth-degree sexual assault of a minor. Fourth-degree sexual assault is defined as “sexual contact with a person without the consent of that person.” Advocates claim gender-neutral bathrooms are more inclusive for people struggling with their sexual identity, but others argue the bathrooms create privacy issues for men and women. Read more

UK – Equalities Minister blasts unapproved LGBT guidance for schools

The Equalities Minister in the UK has rejected claims that were made by the LGBT guidelines document for schools, the minister said that these claims do not reflect government policy. The LGBT guidelines for schools in the UK have falsely claimed the following; that schools have a legal and moral duty to embed LGBT teaching in the curriculum, and the guidelines suggest that schools should ignore the concerns of parents and carers who object. The guidelines document also encouraged schools to ignore advice from groups such as Transgender Trend, A Woman’s Place UK and Fair Play for Women, because these groups do not fully endorse the affirmative approach to gender confusion.  The guidelines document also falsely claims that “refusing a child or young person access to the changing room or toilet of their gender identity would constitute an act of discrimination”. Read more

Romania – Bans gender studies in schools

Similar to its neighbours Hungary and Poland, the Senate of Romania voted in June to ban all studies and courses linked to gender ideology in schools and higher education. The amendment bans “activities spreading the theory or opinions related to gender identity which hold that gender is a separate concept from biological sex and that the two are not always identical.” For the amendment to be made law it has to be signed by President Iohannis. Read more

USA – The dangers of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones

Jane Robbins is an attorney who graduated from Harvard Law School. Recently a piece written by Robbins was published in The Federalist on the topic of transgender youth. In the article Robbins expresses concerns over the youth being experimented on with medical interventions that actually prove to do more harm than good.

Multiple studies show how puberty blockers and cross sex hormones (the same intervention being pushed by the transgender industry on children) disrupt mental health. Women who identify as transgender men receive megadoses of testosterone, enough to raise their levels 10-40 times above the female reference range.  Past studies have documented multiple psychiatric problems — mania, hypomania, major depression, and even psychosis — with similar high doses of anabolic steroids like testosterone.

Estrogen also affects mood in complex ways. Post-menopausal women treated with even normal doses of estrogen often experience severe anxiety. Because men who identify as women receive megadoses of estrogen, this intervention could worsen both anxiety and depression.

“Evidence mounts that these medical interventions increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, blood clots, cancers, and a host of other maladies no young person should ever have to face. They almost certainly result in infertility or sterility and put children on a lifelong path of medicalized warfare against their own bodies. Because there are no long-term studies of the effects of some of these interventions, they constitute a ghoulish experiment on confused but innocent kids.” Read more; The Federalist, Pubmed, Psycheducation

Australia – Court Case could change the rules when it comes to transitioning children

A mother, along with a psychiatric expert who questions the safety of transgender treatments for children, will appear in court against doctors who permitted her son to take opposite-sex hormone drugs. The psychiatric expert said that the gender clinic’s puberty blocker drugs, opposite-sex hormones and surgery for minors who have gender issues overlook deeper and more complex rational and psychological difficulties. The better response would be non-invasive psychotherapy and ‘watchful waiting’.

The growing concern of young adult “detransitioners” who regret medical treatment, evidence that gender clinics have falsely promoted puberty blockers as reversible, the possible role of “social contagion” in teenage transgender declarations, the dangers of “aggressive trans activism”, a failure of media reporting, and “persecution” of parents and practitioners worried about child welfare make this a case to watch. 

The journalist covering the case, Kirralie Smith, said that laws needed to be written taking into consideration all available evidence, science and medical studies. Academics and doctors who do not comply are being threatened and censored. Read more

Canada – calls for national inquiry into increasing number of children transitioning

Derek Sloan, a candidate for the Conservative Party leadership in Canada, is calling for a national inquiry into the increasing number of children undergoing medical “gender transitioning” or “sex reassignment.” Emphasising his position on gender ideology, he said “no one younger than 18 should be allowed to take hormones or get a sex change surgery, and educational systems need to stop pushing one-sided content on this subject at extremely inappropriate ages for students.” Sloan also explained that several governments, including in the United Kingdom and Australia, had already “investigated this trend and taken action on it. There are good reasons for this.” Read more

USA – Federal investigation to be launched on transgender bathroom enabled sexual assault of kindergartener

In November 2017, a kindergarten girl was sexually assaulted in her school bathroom by a boy who was allowed to be there because of that policy. The little girls’ mother Pascha Thomas has filed a federal lawsuit, the first suit in the nation seeking to hold a school district accountable for demonstrable harm inflicted on the girl. The parents of City Schools students warned this kind of thing would happen, and now it has. In June 2020, an investigation done by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights found that the school failed to investigate the assault, tried to sweep the problem under the rug, and actively misled local parents about what had happened and what it meant for their children’s safety. Read more

USA – 14 States consider restricting transgender sports participation

Fourteen states in the USA are considering laws that would restrict transgender sports participation according to the Human Rights Campaign. Legislators adjourned amid the coronavirus pandemic, so actions have not been taken on pending bills. However, special sessions are likely to resume in the coming weeks and it’s possible the transgender bills may receive attention. Transgender athletes were prohibited from competing with women’s sports teams in public schools, colleges, and universities in Idaho after Republican Gov. Brad Little signed a bill into law in March. Attorney General William Barr said that Idaho is not in violation of the Constitution by denying support for biological males which compete against biological females. Read more

USA – Exploiting child suicide to bully parents of transgender kids denies science

Parents are being told that if they do not agree to experimental medical interventions for their transgender children, that their children might commit suicide. In reality, suicide among transgender children are rare, especially when compared to other at-risk groups of youth, such as those with anorexia and autism. More importantly, there is no long-term evidence that puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or “transition” surgeries prevent suicide. On the contrary, the best long-term research shows that people who go through medical transition kill themselves at a rate many times greater than the general population. In no other medical or psychological condition is a suicidal patient — let alone a child — allowed to dictate treatment. Children and adolescents are cognitively immature, and their thinking is further impaired under psychological distress. To proceed with treatment would be gross medical negligence.

Scientific research tells us that youth with gender dysphoria often also suffer depression, anorexia, autism, and other psychological conditions predisposing them to suicide. Self-harm among trans-identified youth may be due to the dysphoria, but maybe not. It could stem from other psychological conditions or a combination of both. If that’s the case, radical chemical and surgical interventions administered to help the patient mimic the opposite sex won’t resolve the underlying psychological problem. Suicide prevention for trans-identified youth is the same as for youth who suffer other psychological distress: talk therapy and Food and Drug Administration-approved psychiatric medications.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reported that 90% of people who die by suicide have an underlying – and potential treatable – mental health condition. One study found that 96% of U.S. adolescents who attempt suicide suffer from at least one mental illness. There is no evidence trans-identified children who commit suicide are any different. In fact, the most up-to-date research shows the effectiveness of psychotherapy for resolving gender dysphoria in children and adolescents.

Swedish child and adolescent psychiatrist Sven Roman and Psychologists Dr. Michael Bailey and Dr. Ray Blanchard agree: There is no persuasive evidence that gender transition reduces the likelihood of gender dysphoric children from killing themselves. Read more

UK – British Broadcasting Corp drops radical transgender info page

The BBC has removed some of UK’s most controversial pro-transgender groups from its online ‘Gender identity’ information page. Links to Mermaids, The Gender Trust, and The Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES), which promote radical transgender ideology, have been replaced with a link to the National Health Service (NHS). Some of these groups provoked outrage after exposing names, telephone numbers, addresses, and deeply intimate details of children’s mental state and medical history online for all to read. The trans group called GIRES also falsely claimed that gender treatments mitigate the symptoms of Autism spectrum disorder. The NHS recently changed its guidance on puberty-blocking drugs to reflect the growing evidence of the dangers posed to children by hormone suppressors. Read more

USA – Study claiming health benefits of gender-affirming treatment say they were wrong

The authors of a study who claimed “gender-reassignment” procedures brought mental health benefits issued a correction to their 2019 findings, admitting that those who have had “gender-reassignment” surgery “were more likely to be treated for anxiety disorders.” The study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry and utilized data from the Swedish Total Population Register, with information from more than 9.7 million Swedes, or about 95% of the country. The claim that gender-affirming treatment improves transgender mental health hinged on the outcomes of only three people from the total dataset of 9.7 million people. Read more

When the blind see again

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Doctors For Life International (DFL), in partnership with Medical Mission International (MMI), assisted Angolans with free medical care in 2008. The main goal was to cure blindness through cataract surgery. The campaign was in an area in the south of Angola, where cataract surgery have not been performed for as much as 3 decades due to the civil war (ended in 2002).

Most of patients DFL operated on, had bilateral blindness (blind in both eyes) for many years. Their reactions to being able to see again was filled with emotional; mixed with shock and pure joy! The their sometimes animated reactions were priceless. Hit the “like button” if you enjoyed watching them see again. In addition to surgery DFL also provided dental procedures and general medical treatment to over a thousand people during this 2008 outreach.

DFL have completed approximately 9 similar medical campaigns in various regions in Angola alone since 2003. Other countries where DFL assist medically include (but are not limited to) Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Botswana and South Africa. Consider supporting our work by contributing to these campaigns.

Visit our website at www.doctorsforlife.co.za or email us at [email protected]

Aid to Africa – Mozambique

It has been 5 months since my husband and I, together with our children, arrived at the Zavora Clinic in Mozambique. COVID-19 was already making headlines across the world, however, it was unclear how it would impact us. We are now at the stage where COVID-19 cases are being confirmed in surrounding townships so it seems the virus has arrived at our doorstep.

The past few months have brought about many changes to the way we practice on a daily basis. Patients are educated every morning about COVID-19 including measures to prevent transmission of the virus. They are required to wash their hands with soap on arrival, wear masks and maintain a 1-2 metre distance from others at all times. There is also a designated person who identifies patients with flu-like symptoms on arrival. These patients are placed in a separate waiting area and seen first so they can leave the premises as soon as possible. Staff are supplied with personal protective equipment (PPE), including gowns, masks and gloves and have access to hand sanitiser. Eye shields are worn during higher risk exposures such as consultations involving patients with flu-like symptoms.  Gowns and masks are sterilised daily so they can be reused in order to sustain our PPE supply.

COVID-19 has been looming up in the background for several months and it is likely that we will be surrounded by it shortly. This does not change the daily struggle we face with malaria. We treat many cases of malaria every day and a large proportion of these patients are not well. Some present as life-threatening emergencies, particularly young children. Treatment for malaria is in short-supply and our main supplier of medication is unable to provide us with the number of treatments we need. We have therefore had to source treatment privately. There was recently a day where I went to work knowing we did not have malaria treatment to give. As patients tested positive for the disease we placed them aside and asked them to wait whilst we tried to find a way we could help these people. It was wonderful to see how God made a way and every patient that day went home with the treatment they needed. The struggle for enough malaria treatment continues but I marvel to think that to this very day God has always provided us with what we need. This is not only the case for malaria treatment, but also in many other aspects of the clinic. I am reminded of the verse in Hebrews 11 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him”. We all face daily trials, and perhaps even more so due to COVID-19, but my prayer is that these trials will increase and perfect our faith.

Article of Mid June / July 2020

Mr Mario Rocha, educating patients regarding COVID-19

LifeChild – Project Care

LifeChild – Project Care

Food Delivery and Covid-19 training
During a weekend in March, we visited four of our orphan centres in rural KZN. We delivered food parcels, clothing, and personal protective equipment like masks, sanitizers, and posters. Our team trained and informed our caregivers and children on how to stay safe during the Covid-19 pandemic and how the virus spreads. We taught them how important it is to wash hands regularly if someone showed possible symptoms of being sick with Covid-19 they were given the contact details of the person who would guide them on what to do next.

New developments
Our garden project at Emthaleni is doing well, especially our mealies and fruit trees. We also had our entrance gate replaced with a stronger frame and material. Burglar guards were put up on the windows of the centre and our next goal is to get a new fence up around the property which has been graciously sponsored by Tear Fund.
Currently, our Table Mountain centre only feeds the children and our long term goal is to turn the centre into a stay in the centre for the children. Recently we put up a ceiling and we were able to tile the floors. Another important goal was to put up security gates, we are grateful to have been able to accomplish that.

 

REPLAY: webinar – “the Humanity of the Unborn Child” by Dr Chris Warton

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Doctors For Life International’s (DFL) webinar on “The Humanity of the Unborn Child” 5 August 2020. The guest speaker who did the presentation was, Dr Chris Warton, a Lecturer at the University of Cape Town on Human Anatomy, Embryology and neuroscience. Also included is Dr Albu van Eeden, CEO of DFL, and Mr Martus de Wet, from De Wet Wepener Inc. Attorneys.

REPLAY: Webinar recording on Abortion, Conscientious Objection and the Law

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For those who missed out and would like to have participated:

On 2 July 2020 around 19h00, Doctors For Life hosted a webinar on the topic of Abortion, Conscientious Objection and the Law. Our Guest Speaker was Adv. Keith Matthee SC and participants from across Africa, and from other countries joined us for this meeting.

The webinar also gave participants a chance to engage the speaker and put forward any questions they might have. For those who missed it and would like to watch the webinar, we have made this possible along with access to the power point presentation presented in the webinar.

As for the pro forma document mentioned in the webinar to the hospitals, contact [email protected] to get access.

Power Point presentation of Webinar-Slides-Abortion-and-Conscientious-ObjectionDownload

7 Tactics a Child Predator Uses to Lure Kids: Red Flag Phrases Every Parent Needs to Know

Editor’s note: This article first appeared on Protect Young Minds .

by Kimberly King Apr 14, 2020

This is written by Kimberly King, an award-winning author, teacher, and authority on the subject of sexual abuse prevention.

As parents, we all want to keep our kids safe from harm. We teach our kids to wash their hands, cover their mouths, buckle up the seat belts, and always wear a helmet when riding a bike. 

Sexual abuse prevention is a bit more complicated than that. 

The good news is that with investing a minimal amount of time in sexual abuse prevention education, parents and kids can be empowered. Learning about sexual abuse prevention can help parents protect their kids immediately. 

Abusers have specialized methods to choose and manipulate victims through a variety of techniques and tricks. They try to gain the trust of the child and family first and eventually move toward “grooming.” 

Learning about the tactics and tricks child predators use will help parents be more aware. Here are some red flag phrases and tactics abusers may use.

1. “Can you keep a secret?”

 Secrecy. 

Sexual abuse thrives under layers of secrets. If your child hears this phrase from an adult, it is a HUGE red flag. 

A skilled abuser may first ask a child to keep a secret that seems innocent, saying things like

  • “Let’s keep this treat our little secret.”
  • “Don’t tell your mom we got ice cream before dinner.” 

These are small, benign secrets that seem harmless.

When confident the child has kept those types of secrets the abuser will move on to acts of sexual abuse, demanding secrecy about that behavior as well. At that point, the child may feel so guilty and ashamed that he or she feels they cannot tell. 

What you can do:

Tell young children that they must never keep secrets from their parents. 

2. “You’re my special friend.”

Friendship.

Abusers try to build up relationships with kids by promoting common interests. They also try to establish trust with kids by attempting to make children feel special or unique. An abuser will try to gain the affection of his or her intended victim by sharing these likes and things they have in common.

What you can do:

 A good rule of thumb to remember is that kids need age-appropriate friends, and adults need adult friends.

3. “Let’s spend some quality alone time together.”

Isolation.

A big red flag! Adults have adult friends, not “special” kid friends. Any activity that requires an adult to be alone with a child is not safe, especially overnights. Abusers try to normalize certain behaviors and lower inhibitions. So, a situation where a child must change clothing or do a sleepover is inherently risky. 

What you can do:

Implement the rule of three. This rule requires that there should always be at least three people present – one adult and two or more children, or two adults and one child.

4. “Does Somebody need a hug?”

Affection.

Pats on the back, a hug to say goodbye– may be completely acceptable in many circumstances. Because of this, many predators seek careers where they have easy access to children. Be aware of your child’s reactions to other adults and comfort levels regarding physical affection.

What you can do:

Teach your children that if they ever feel uncomfortable about any physical contact, they need to tell you. Learn about consent and teach body autonomy to your little ones from an early age.

5. “Want to hear a dirty joke?”

Humor.

An abuser can lure a child closer by using jokes and games. These may start “G” rated. But, soon lead to “dirty” jokes, showing children online pornography, or by introducing sexual games. 

What you can do:

If your child is old enough to have internet access, make sure you are monitoring email and social network messages. A predator may send explicit materials through social media apps. And may ask or demand inappropriate photos from your child. Kids can get easily trapped and scared in this predicament. 

Consider installing Apps like BARK to protect and monitor your child.

6. “Your parents don’t understand you. I know how you feel.”

Empathy.

Sometimes, kids can feel isolated or alone, especially during family duress. Separations, divorce, or other changes in family structure or location can make kids more vulnerable. 

Predators often target kids who feel isolated from their peers by using empathy. 

What you can do:

If your family does go through a stressful period, pay attention. A great family counselor can help get ahead of some of these issues.

7. “Your parents will never forgive you if they find out what we did, you didn’t say No!“

Shame.

A child is not able to give consent in a sexual relationship. The blame/ shame, control game is hard to handle. The predator will use a child’s confusion and fear as they attempt to maintain control over the victim.

What you can do:

Kids need to know that no matter how long any inappropriate contact or abuse has gone on, it is NEVER their fault, and you will always help, protect, and love them. 

A prepared child is less of a target. 

Parents have the immense responsibility of trying to protect their families from sexual abuse. The best way to add a layer of protection is to educate yourself and your kids about sexual abuse.

Sexual abuse can be prevented when parents learn the facts about sexual abuse and minimize the risks for the family. 

7 Tactics a Child Predator Uses to Lure Kids: Red Flag Phrases Every Parent Needs to Know
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