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Abortion

USA – CNN crossfire debate on abortion (part 1)
USA – CNN crossfire debate on abortion (part 2)
Italy – Unknown group covers city of Rome with posters
Canada – The error in the ‘My body, my choice’ argument

Alternative Medicine

[No news today]

Euthanasia

Netherlands – Demand for euthanasia surges in the Netherlands
Netherlands – Nitschke designs euthanasia machine with detachable coffin
Switzerland – Assisted suicide rates increased by 30{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}

IVF and Surrogacy

[No news today]

Medical Ethics

USA – Is human gene editing around the corner?
UK – Court says woman in minimally conscious state be allowed to die
USA – Ethicists debate repairing human germlines
Italy – Scientists grow skin to save Syrian boy’s life

Pedophilia

USA – Homosexual pair shared adopted son with sex ring for six years

Pornography

USA – The world has become pornified

Same Sex Attraction

Turkey – Homosexual events banned in country
UK – Association of poor mental health and sexual identity

Sexual Exploitation

[No news today]

Substance Abuse

USA – The first baby to die in the USA ‘associated with cannabis’
South Africa – Flakka on sale in SA '10 times more dangerous than cocaine'

Abortion

USA – CNN crossfire debate on abortion (part 1)

Lila Rose, the president of Live Action (a pro-life group) shares some interesting facts and suggestions on CNN crossfire debate on abortion. “We should dare to have a better view for America and our women by saying we shouldn’t have to think or believe that women need abortions and that we have to kill our children to achieve the dreams and careers and families that we want. I think we can do better as a society and women deserve better. We should reach out to women on community-level programs that are positive that help them if they’re single mothers, improve the foster care system and improve the adoption system so that we can welcome children to this country, instead of seeing them as a threat and killing them. Science is not about personal views but rather about facts that prove there is a person in the womb, not just a clump of tissue. The right of the woman wanting an abortion should end when another life in the womb begins because it is no longer about the pregnant woman but the individual growing inside of her.
https://youtu.be/WdPIgsGmDcU

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USA – CNN crossfire debate on abortion (part 2)

In a debate about abortion on CNN crossfire Lila Rose, the president of Live Action a pro-life group, explains how abortion would be unnecessary if we addressed the reasons that make women believe they need an abortion. Lila asks “is it because a boss did not promote them? Or a boyfriend was going to leave them? Or a university professor said we are not going to be flexible with our class schedule? Let’s look at those reasons and address that instead of turning to killing, dismembering and poisoning our littlest Americans.” When Lila was asked whether a women should be forced to carry her rapist’s baby she responded by saying “an abortion does not unrape a woman, the rapist should be held accountable and she needs healing but abortion only adds to the violence”. She refers to the story of a women conceived in rape, Rebecca Keasling, she asked should she have received the death penalty for what her father did? “Should we be punished for what our fathers do wrong?”
https://youtu.be/WdPIgsGmDcU

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Italy – Unknown group covers city of Rome with posters

Nearly forty years after abortion was legalized in Italy, an unknown pro-life group has sought to reawaken Italians to the horrifying reality of abortion. The city was covered with thousands of posters saying: “One child killed every five minutes. Since 1978 more than six million killed by abortion. Let us remember these dead” the posters stated. The picture on the poster was of a baby in the womb pursued by an instrument used to dismember the child during an abortion. Toni Brandi president of ProVita Onlus (another pro-life group) said the message was strong and encouraged the unknown authors to continue the good fight.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pro-lifers-blanket-rome-with-posters-protesting-abortion

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Canada – The error in the ‘My body, my choice’ argument

A video was released by Canadian pro-life group Choice 42 points out the flawed slogan that pro-abortion activists use ‘My body, my choice’. Laura Klassen the founder and director of Choice 42 explained in the video “My body does not have two heads, four arms, or 20 toes. If I were to get an abortion right now, I wouldn’t be aborting my own body. I’d be aborting the body inside my body.” When a mother chooses abortion, “she’s choosing for two,” Klassen said in a blog post. “She’s deciding the path her own life will take, but she’s also deciding whether or not her unborn child will even get his/her chance at life.”
https://youtu.be/IufyKdrAQIY

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Alternative Medicine

[No news today]

Euthanasia

Netherlands – Demand for euthanasia surges in the Netherlands

Euthanasia is becoming so popular in the Netherlands that the country’s only dedicated death clinic cannot keep up with the demand. Steven Pleiter, director of the Levenseindekliniek in Amsterdam said ‘If there was any taboo, it has gone’. Professor Theo Boer, who served on the Dutch euthanasia review committee between 2005 and 2014, has become a prominent critic of euthanasia, “There is no dispute about the good intentions of the people at the end of life clinic. [But] they may have become too used to doing euthanasia. Yes, they have expertise but they are too experienced. You should never get used to helping someone die.”
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/demand-for-euthanasia-surges-in-the-netherlands/

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Netherlands – Nitschke designs euthanasia machine with detachable coffin

Australia’s best-known euthanasia activist, Dr Philip Nitschke, is back in the news with another machine for committing suicide. The machine will allow anyone who has the access key to end their life by simply pressing a button. Developed in the Netherlands by Nitschke and an engineer, the machine can be 3D printed and assembled in any location. Access to the Sarco capsule will be by an online mental questionnaire which will provide a four-digit access code. Design criteria for the Sarco will be free, made open-source and placed on the internet.
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/nitschke-designs-new-euthanasia-machine-with-detachable-coffin/

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Switzerland – Assisted suicide rates increased by 30{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}

The rates of assisted suicide in Switzerland increased by 30{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} in 2015, bringing it close to eclipsing suicide as a cause of death. 965 Swiss residents (426 male and 539 female) died by assisted suicide in Switzerland in 2015, up from 742 deaths (320 male and 422 female) in 2014. Of the 965 deaths by assisted suicide, 822 were of individuals 65 years or older. Importantly the statistics do not include those who have travelled from another country to end their life in Switzerland.
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/swiss-assisted-suicide-rates-increased-by-30-in-2015/

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IVF and Surrogacy

[No news today]

Medical Ethics

USA – Is human gene editing around the corner?

Stanford medical researcher Henry Miller has declared in the Wall Street Journal that the time had come for modifying the human germline using CRISPR. It is wrong to deprive desperate parents who are carriers of genetic diseases of their chance to have healthy children. “The technology is arguably at the stage where clinical trials could be undertaken to see whether gene-edited human embryos can develop into healthy babies.” However, stem cell expert Paul Knoepfler argues that the science is very far from perfect. It’s unwise to rush into human clinical research of any kind and that’s especially true if it includes heritable genetic modification. You first need reproducible, rigorous data to back you up from sufficiently powerful studies and a good sense of anticipated risks. “What happens to the unhealthy or deceased CRISPR’d humans you made in your experiment that didn’t turn out the way you had hoped? We just say “oops”? Or what if the babies seem OK at first, but then later they become ill or die? These are not fun questions to ask or ponder, but they are deeply important if we are going into this with our eyes open.”
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/is-human-gene-editing-around-the-corner/12504

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UK – Court says woman in minimally conscious state be allowed to die

British High Court Justice Anthony Hayden has ruled that a 72-year-old woman in minimally conscious state following an acute hemorrhage from a brain aneurysm after a fall should have artificial feeding withdrawn. She had been on life-support for months and the Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust recently applied to the Court of Protection for a ruling that continuing the feeding was in her best interests. But Justice Hayden ruled in favour of the woman’s daughter (who opposed feeding), saying that there was “clear and compelling” evidence (such as an email sent to her daughter before the fall) that the woman would not have wanted life support to continue. The case follows a landmark ruling in September that clinically assisted feeding and hydration may be withdrawn from patients in a persistent vegetative or minimally conscious state without going to court, where doctors and families agree.
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/woman-in-minimally-conscious-state-should-be-allowed-to-die-uk-court/

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USA – Ethicists debate repairing human germlines

With the rapid advance in gene-editing technology Bryan Cwik, a philosopher at Portland State University argues in the New England Journal of Medicine that “intergenerational monitoring” will be needed, not just of the first generation of modified children, but of their children and grandchildren. “Monitoring for effects of gene editing will require consent and participation from multiple generations of descendants of the original participants. Studies will therefore require researchers to have access to key medical data for entire families over several decades.” But Harvard stem cell scientist George Church writes “some critics fret about the slippery slope of human enhancement and the impossibility of obtaining consent from future generations. Doing nothing merely for fear of unknown risks is itself risky — greatly restricting the advance of medicine.
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/nejm-debates-repairing-human-germlines/

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Italy – Scientists grow skin to save Syrian boy’s life

A group of scientists in Italy have managed to treat a Syrian refugee boy suffering from Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa, a genetic disease that causes the skin to become fragile and blister. By the time he received specialist medical attention, the boy had lost almost all his skin (specifically, the epidermal layer of the skin), save a small patch on his leg and head. The research team, led by Michele De Luca at the University of Modena, grew genetically modified skin in a laboratory that could replace the lost epidermal tissue. The replacement skin was based on a sample from the patient’s remaining healthy skin, which scientists genetically modified it using a virus to deliver a healthy version of the problematic gene. The team grew enough skin to cover almost the entire body of the boy and the new epidermis was attached like a patchwork quilt, covering almost his entire body. Two years on the boy is doing well. His skin is healthy and he doesn’t need to take medication or use ointments. He is back at school, plays football and when he gets a cut it heals normally.
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/scientists-grow-skin-to-save-syrian-boys-life/

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Pedophilia

USA – Homosexual pair shared adopted son with sex ring for six years

In 2005 two homosexual men adopted a son from a woman in Russia for the sole purpose of sexual abuse and sex trafficking, police told the court. Police also told the court that videos and images of the boys abuse was uploaded to a national paedophile ring called ‘Boy Lovers Network’ which had 70,000 members worldwide before it was subject to international raids that arrested 670 men. The two homosexual men were found guilty for offering the boy for sex to at least eight men in the US, France and Germany. They have been sentenced to 30 and 40 years in prison in the USA.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5087453/Cairns-gay-couple-Mark-Newton-Peter-Truong.html

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Pornography

USA – The world has become pornified

The internet has made an entire universe of pornographic content available to all of us. Many of the statistics have become outdated but updated numbers based on credible studies carried out in 2016 or 2017 are now available. In 2016 people watched 4.6 billion hours of pornography on just one website (the biggest porn site in the world). That’s 524,000 years of porn or about 17 000 complete lifetimes. In the same year people watched 92 billion videos (or an average of 12.5 for every person on earth). Understanding how much is consumed at just one site can at least help us see that this problem is nothing less than epidemic.
https://www.challies.com/articles/10-ugly-and-updated-numbers-about-pornography-use/ https://www.barna.com/the-porn-phenomenon/

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Same Sex Attraction

Turkey – Homosexual events banned in country

Turkey’s capital city of Ankara joined Egypt, Indonesia and Russia in banning all homosexual events such as screenings, filming, exhibitions and parades. The governor of Ankara said LGBT events will provoke and cause animosity between different groups and endanger public health and morality and the rights and freedoms of others. Homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey and many LGBT associations are legally registered with the state.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/lgbt-events-banned-turkey-ankara-protect-public-security-governors-office-health-and-morality-a8063526.html

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UK – Association of poor mental health and sexual identity

A new study called ‘Sexual orientation and symptoms of common mental disorder or low wellbeing: combined meta-analysis of 12 UK population health surveys’, pooled data from a British Cohort Study 2012, Health Survey for England 2011, 2012 and 2013, Scottish Health Survey 2008 to 2013, Longitudinal Study of Young People in England 2009/10 and Understanding Society 2011/2012. In conclusion this study showed that despite the participants being mostly heterosexual 97.2 {01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}, while 1.1 {01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} are lesbian/gay and 0.9 {01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} are bisexual and 0.8 {01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} as ‘other, the homosexual groups experience a greater prevalence of poor mental health (anxiety or depression), substance abuse, suicidality and self-harm compared to heterosexuals, particularly younger and older homosexual adults. Population-based evidence of poorer mental health in homosexual people has been found in samples from the United States, Netherlands and England. The study also shows how sexual identity is necessary to be recorded when seeking psychological therapies to better help the minority group.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-0767-z

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Sexual Exploitation

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Substance Abuse

USA – The first baby to die in the USA ‘associated with cannabis’

There might be a link between marijuana and heart failure in children. A baby boy’s death has prompted a debate among doctors after it was claimed that he died of a marijuana overdose. After suffering from a seizure, the 11-month-old died from heart failure and doctors subsequently produced a report linking his death to marijuana. “We just wanted to make sure that we’re not going to call this a marijuana-related fatality if there was something else that we could point it at,” said Dr. Christopher Hoyte of the Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Center. “And we have looked and couldn’t find it.” Dr Hoyte was on duty as a poison control officer when he treated the child and found that his urine and blood tested positive for marijuana, thereafter “One thing just led to another and the child ended up with a heart stopped. And the child stopped breathing and died.” The report concluded: this is the first reported pediatric death associated with cannabis.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/marijuana-overdose-baby-colorado-dr-christopher-hoyte-dr-thomas-nappe-a8062256.html

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South Africa – Flakka on sale in SA '10 times more dangerous than cocaine'

Flakka is in Durban and the authorities are warning about its dangerous effects, which include mental disturbance and psychotic episodes. “About 10 times more powerful than cocaine,” says director Walter Petersen of SANCA Durban, describing “flakka”. Mr. Petersen told newspapers that flakka – is also known as “bath baths”. Petersen explained it was a powerful upper like amphetamines and that its use could lead to paranoia, overheating, hallucinations, delirium, and even death! “It is cheaper than cocaine and you can buy it online.” Petersen also stated that if users came to SANCA their offices would treat them, however, “Users will probably be subject to a dual diagnosis –that of the addiction and for mental disturbance. They reported that the drug is being sold in Wentworth, Chatsworth and Pinetown.
https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/flakka-10-times-more-powerful-than-cocaine-11920343

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Abortion UK – Legal abortion clinic pays staff bonuses to ensure abortions USA – More abortion clinics fail Health requirements USA – Paediatricians laud new ethical non embryonic stem cell vaccine USA – Former Abortion changes her view on abortion Alternative Medicine No news today Euthanasia Australia – Victoria euthanasia bill in the balance as WMA intervenes Belgium – Euthanasia doctors split over psychiatric illness Netherlands – Study casts doubt on effectiveness of euthanasia regulation Belgium – Is euthanasia for psychological suffering changing medicine? Germany – Is there a difference between euthanasia and palliated starvation? IVF& Surrogacy Australia – Calls for commercial surrogacy as children get stranded Medical Ethics Iran – Legal market in kidneys creates a black market too USA – Groundbreaking surgery prevents worst effects of spina bifida USA – New Hippocratic Oath for doctors approved by WMA Pedophilia UK – Sarah’s Law reveals sex-offenders and paedophiles Pornography No news today Same Sex Attraction UK – Former transgender person is concerned for the youth UK – Doctors can help more effectively if they know your sexuality USA – is there a link between homosexuality and paedophilia Sexual Exploitation Bulgaria – Horrific injuries inflicted on a sex slave Substance Abuse Portugal – National survey: Psychoactive drug consumption increases Canada – Smoking cannabis does make people more violent: USA – FDA warns marijuana companies marketing unproven cancer products USA – Teen alcohol/marijuana users get poorer grades, are more aggressive

Abortion

UK – Legal abortion clinic pays staff bonuses to ensure abortions The Health Service Watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), had staff members at Marie Stopes abortion clinics report on how bonus incentives are given to staff who persuade as many women as they can to abort their babies. There are 70 clinics in the UK and CQC inspectors found evidence of a policy that strongly discourages the presence of parents, partners or friends of the pregnant women because they might persuade them to reconsider an abortion. Inspectors also raised concerns that girls under the age of 16 were aborting without being made fully aware of the risks involved. In December last year CQC highlighted more than 2,600 serious incidents at Marie Stopes’s clinics nationwide. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/abortions-marie-stopes-clinic-bonuses-persuade-women-investigation-a8012171.html USA – More abortion clinics fail health requirements Reports from the Texas Health Department show from 2011 to 2017 how abortion conglomerate Planned Parenthood has violated health codes by using rusty equipments, curettes with expired sterilization to scrape the mother’s womb to remove baby parts and failing to sterilize and disinfect instruments used from woman to woman. The abortionists also failed to give numbers of nearby hospitals in case the woman experienced complications due to her abortion. Suction machines that rip the baby out of the mother’s womb had rusted parts on it. Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood director now turned pro-life is spreading awareness about what goes on in the clinics while also helping abortion workers leave their job. http://www.abbyjohnson.org/abbyjohnson/2017/9/6/whole-womens-health-exposed USA – Paediatricians laud new ethical non embryonic stem cell vaccine Glaxo SmithKline (GSK) has developed a new anti-shingles vaccine called Shingrix which is not made of aborted baby cell material. Shingrix is approved by the FDA and studies show it to be 97.2 {01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} effective in people over 50 years old with 95 percent immunity maintained after four years. This shows that Shingrix is superior to Merck’s vaccine made of aborted baby cells. The American College of Paediatricians are urging all manufacturers to seek ethical alternatives to current vaccines produced using aborted baby cells. https://www.acpeds.org/pediatricians-applaud-gsk-for-new-ethical-shingles-vaccine USA – Former abortion doctor changes her view on abortion Dr. Kathi Aultman a board certified gynaecologist and former abortionist has changed her views. Dr. Aultman testified in favour of banning abortions on babies with a heartbeat, which begins 21 days after conception, to a U.S. Judiciary Committee. She says her patients led her to think differently as she observed women who chose life do amazingly well compared to women who suffered terribly after aborting their babies. Dr. Aultman said a woman cannot remain unscathed after killing her child. If passed, this legislation will make it illegal for doctors to abort babies with beating hearts and no exceptions will be made for rape and incest incidents. http://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU10/20171101/106562/HHRG-115-JU10-Wstate-AultmanK-20171101.pdf

Alternative Medicine

No news today

Euthanasia

Australia – Victoria euthanasia bill in the balance as WMA intervenes The expectation among political pundits was that the bill would pass the Upper House with little resistance. Meanwhile, the World Medical Association has strongly urged Victorian Parliamentarians to vote against it, saying that euthanasia violates the basic principles of medical ethics. In a statement the WMA said: “[Legalised euthanasia] will create a situation of direct conflict with physicians’ ethical obligations to patients and will harm the “ethical tone” of the profession…it is in conflict with basic ethical principles of medical practice, and [the WMA] strongly encourages all national medical associations and physicians to refrain from participating in euthanasia, even if national law allows it or decriminalises it under certain conditions.” https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/vic-euthanasia-bill-hangs-in-the-balance-as-wma-intervenes/12494? Belgium – Euthanasia doctors split over psychiatric illness Dr Wim Distelmans, an oncologist and chair of the country’s euthanasia commission Is alarmed at the policies followed by psychiatrist Lieve Thienpont. In 2015, Thienpont was tracking 100 of her patients who had requested euthanasia between 2007 and 2011. Of those, 48 were granted permission. Distelmans and his colleagues appear to be concerned that Thienpont was filling her psychiatric patients with unrealistic expectations about their requests for euthanasia. “I’m convinced that in Belgium, people have died where there were still treatment options and where there was still a chance for years and even decades of (quality) life,” said Dr Joris Vandenberghe, a psychiatrist at the University of Leuven. https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/belgium-euthanasia-doctors-split-over-psychiatric-illness/12490? Netherlands – Study casts doubt on effectiveness of euthanasia regulation “Strict”, “scrupulous” and “rigid” – these are some of the words that have been used in a new study by researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study, authored by David Miller and Dr Scott Kim from the NIH’s bioethics department analyses 33 cases from 2012 to 2016 in which the Dutch euthanasia review committees (RTE) deemed that doctors had failed to meet due care criteria. The study found that out of 33 cases reviewed, 22 failed to meet the procedural due care criteria (i.e., due medical care and consulting an independent physician). “These criteria are more clearly operationalised than other criteria”, the authors observe. In six of the cases, the RTE found that the passive assisted suicide doctors had not been thorough enough in applying the “unbearable suffering” criterion. https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/new-study-casts-doubt-on-effectiveness-of-euthanasia-regulation-in-the-neth/12501 Belgium – Is euthanasia for psychological suffering changing medicine? Forty two psychiatrists, psychologists and academics have published an open letter calling for a national debate on euthanasia and mental illness. The current law is far too vague and flexible: “The law does not indicate the exact criteria for unbearable and psychological suffering. Any complaint about any carelessness in this area will only end in a legal ‘no man’s land’.”More and more, no matter how many criteria there are, it depends simply on how an individual psychiatrist interprets or tests them, aided by the doctor’s own assumptions and the patient’s account of his symptoms.” “Some people are dying unnecessarily. To stand silently on the sidelines is a crime of neglect.” “Since the euthanasia law there has been some kind of madness in our work. After the threat of suicide, for which you must be constantly on guard as a psychiatrist, there is now the threat of euthanasia.” https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/is-euthanasia-for-psychological-suffering-changing-belgian-medicine/12495 Germany – Is there a difference between euthanasia and palliated starvation? While euthanasia and assisted suicide are currently illegal in most countries, the practice of voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED) is seen by some as an ethically and legally permissible alternative. Yet a new paper published in BMC Medicine argues that VSED is ethically indistinguishable from assisted suicide, and should be subject to the same legal regulations as more salient cases of assistance in dying. Lead author Ralf J. Jox of the Institute for Ethics, History and Theory of Medicine at the University of Munich argues that, “supporting patients who embark on VSED amounts to assistance in suicide, at least in some instances, depending on the kind of support and its relation to the patient’s intention”. The authors of the paper conclude that the same legal prescriptions or regulations that apply to physician assisted suicide should also apply to VSED. https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/is-there-any-difference-between-euthanasia-and-palliated-starvation/12500

IVF&Surrogacy

Australia – Calls for commercial surrogacy as children get stranded An Australian couple living in the US has discovered they will not be recognized as the parents of their surrogate born children if they return home. David and Naomi Seddon were married in the US and had two baby girls via a commercial surrogate in California. The girls are US citizens, but will not be recognized as children of the Seddon’s under Australian law. “If we were to not get our visas renewed we can’t stay in US, but the girls can’t [stay in] Australia, because legally we’re not their parents.” Assisted reproductive technology pioneer Gab Kovacs has called for immediate law reform, citing the increasing demand for surrogacy in Australia. https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/calls-for-commercial-surrogacy-in-australia-as-children-get-stranded/12481

Medical Ethics

Iran – Legal market in kidneys creates a black market too Iran is the only country in the world where people can sell their kidneys legally. Recipients pay US$4,600 to the government which the donor receives after the operation. “Yes, people donate because they need money, but this is a reality all over the world,” said Nasser Simforoosh, a Tehran transplant surgeon. Despite government crackdowns on illegal transplant operations, patients who do not want to wait are willing to pay higher rates. Posters advertise the kidneys of the desperate and indebted. “If I could sell my kidney, I could get out of debt,” Ali Rezaei, a bankrupt 42-year-old said. “I would sell my liver too.” “The price is going to go higher and higher,” said Behrooz Broumand, of the Iranian Society of Organ Transplantation. “Transplant commercialism is a race. As long as there is poverty, they cannot stop it.” https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/irans-legal-market-in-kidneys-creates-a-black-market-too/12478 USA – Groundbreaking surgery prevents worst effects of spina bifida Many parents choose to terminate their pregnancy when they discover their child has spina bifida but surgeons from Baylor College of Medicine, led gynecologist Dr Michael A. Belfort, are trying to stop some of the worst effects of spina bifida through an early intervention during pregnancy. The new technique involves a temporary removal of the womb that allows doctors better access to the spinal cord of the fetus. Using a “fetoscope” and special surgical tools, doctors drain amniotic fluid from the back of the fetus and seal the skin over the spinal cord to prevent further exposure. The womb is then inserted back into the mother. Results from 28 cases in which the operation has been performed were reported in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. The intervention does not appear to have negative effects on the outcome of the pregnancy, and it vastly decreases the likelihood of mobility problems for the child. Foetuses who receive the surgery are much less likely to need a shunt, though children still often need a catheter to pass urine. https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/groundbreaking-surgery-may-prevent-worst-effects-of-spina-bifida/12491 USA – New Hippocratic Oath for doctors approved by WMA A modern successor to the Hippocratic Oath for physicians has been approved by the World Medical Association. The “Declaration of Geneva” is to be called, not an “oath”, but a “pledge”. The most striking change is a clause has been inserted into the 2017 version which says, “I will respect the autonomy and dignity of my patient”. WMA President Dr Yoshitake Yokokura said: “The life of physicians today is completely different to what it was in 1948 when the original Declaration of Geneva was adopted. Since then, the Declaration has become a core document of medical ethics and a modern version of the 2,500-year old Hippocratic Oath. We hope that the Declaration approved today will be used by all physicians around the world to strengthen the profession’s determination to maintain the highest standard of health care for patients.” It is interesting to compare the 2017 version with the 1948 version. In many respects they are strikingly different. 1948: I will maintain the utmost respect for human life from the time of conception. 2017: I will maintain the utmost respect for human life. 1948: Even under threat, I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity. 2017: I will not use my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat. 1948: I will maintain by all the means in my power, the honor and the noble traditions of the medical profession; my colleagues will be my brothers 2017: I will foster the honor and noble traditions of the medical profession https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/new-hippocratic-oath-for-doctors-approved/12496

Pedophilia

UK – Sarah’s Law reveals sex-offenders and paedophiles Across the UK, paedophiles are required to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register. The child sex offender disclosure scheme, known as Sarah’s Law, allows anyone to ask the police if someone with access to a child has a record for child sexual offences. If the police make a disclosure, parents and carers must keep the information confidential and only use it to keep the child safe. Legal action may be taken if confidentiality is breached. This law was developed in consultation with Sarah Payne, whose 8 year-old daughter, Sarah, was murdered by a convicted paedophile in 2000. http://www.cornwalllive.com/news/uk-world-news/sarahs-law-can-reveal-nearby-738745

Pornography

No news today

Same Sex Attraction

UK – Former transgender person is concerned for the youth A young medical student named Kate has explained how she was encouraged to undergo treatment after visiting online forums. She later abandoned the treatment after deciding she was no longer transgender and warns that groups advocating for transgenderism can cause great harm if they persuade parents that their children struggling with their sex is simply born with the wrong body. Professor Richard Weaver from the University of Chicago explained that society is being taken by propaganda where they are told that the best way to deal with gender dysphoric teens is to be supportive of their decisions without examining other angles of the issue. http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/sex-change-operations-will-be-one-great-medical-blunders-21st-century-predicts-former UK – Doctors can help more effectively if they know your sexuality Under new government plans as of 2019, doctors and hospitals will now be able to ask their patients whether they are homosexual or bisexual. This information is important since homosexuals are at higher risk for mental issues but patients will not forced to disclose this information. Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs said a patient’s sexuality has the potential to impact their well-being and health care and that doctors are highly trained to have non-judgemental conversations about a patient’s lifestyle in order to help them. LGBT Campaigners and psychologists welcomed this announcement. https://inews.co.uk/nhs/doctor-explains-good-patients-will-asked-sexuality/ USA – Is there a link between homosexuality and paedophilia Actor Kevin Spacey recently came out as homosexual after allegations of sexual harassment were made against him by singer and actor Anthony Rapp. Rapp said it happened in 1986 when he was 14 and Spacey 26 years old at the time. Spacey himself grew up with a physically and sexually abusive father. The LGBT community is split as some say that paedophilic behaviour is a regular occurrence in the community that simply isn’t talked about while others lashed out at Spacey. Therapist David H. Pickup says “Statistically, about 75{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of homosexual males have been sexually abused by older teens or men”. He mentioned the well-known example of LGBT legislator Harvey Milk who preyed on minor teens with emotional problems and drug addictions. Brian Camenker of MassResistance pointed out how British political commentator “Milo Yiannopoulos’ praise of men having sex with boys got him in trouble earlier this year. And Kevin Jennings, Obama’s “safe-schools czar” was also in trouble for giving advice to an underage student to ‘use a condom’ to have sex with an adult male. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/kevin-spacey-admits-hes-gay-exposes-man-boy-sex-among-homosexuals

Sexual Exploitation

Bulgaria – Horrific injuries inflicted on a sex slave A woman was mutilated by criminals and forced into prostitution after being duped by a man who ‘promised her all his love’. Aid worker Norbert Ceipek has shared images of the woman and her injuries after opening a centre to help victims of human trafficking in Bulgaria. “She got to know a young man who took her to the Netherlands”. When she arrived, she realized that she has to walk the streets with another Bulgarian and two Nigerians. She does not want to but by beating and other compulsive measures she complies and prostitutes herself eight months. As a result she had scars and stitches across her stomach and an injury to her head. According to reports, they beat her so much she could have died.” http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/horrific-injuries-inflicted-sex-slave-11284118

Substance Abuse

Portugal – National survey: Increase in psychoactive drug consumption Portugal, the iconic example of drug liberalization that is quoted over and over, had a rough landing with the release of country’s latest drug statistics revealing much of this closely-watched human experiment. According to the 4th National Survey on the Use of Psychoactive Substances in the General Population, Portugal 2016/17, there has been a rise in the prevalence of alcohol and tobacco consumption and of every illicit psychoactive substance (essentially affected by the weight of cannabis use in the population aged 15-74) between 2012 and 2016/17.  The number of people using cannabis has gone up by more than 40 per cent in the years since Portugal made using drugs a ‘health problem rather than a crime’ in 2001. Some 15 years after Portuguese drug law ‘reforms’, almost 15 percent of the country’s young people have used cannabis, according to the figures collected by the Intervention Service for Addictive Behaviors and Dependencies (SICAD) agency, a level that is up from 12.4 percent. The study also saw an increase from 8.3{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} in 2012, to 10.2{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} in 2016/17, in the prevalence of illegal psychoactive substance use. “These are the trends found for cannabis,” the most popular illegal substance, according to the provisional results of the study. http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/alcohol-tobacco-and-drug-consumption-all-report-increases/43238 Canada – Smoking cannabis does make people more violent Cannabis users are more likely to commit violent crime pioneering research by five researchers from institutes based in Montreal, Canada has shown. The project is the first to demonstrate that cannabis is not only linked with violent crime but is the cause. They found no evidence that the link is the other way round – i.e. that violent people are more likely to use cannabis. Violent incidents monitored by the study based on the lives of more than 1,100 American psychiatric patients included assaults, attacks with weapons and rapes. There was no support, they added, for theories put forward by campaigners anxious to free the drug from the taint of links with crime. The study comes after a series of American states have decriminalised cannabis – despite it being stronger and more potent than the hash smoked by hippies in the sixties – or made it available for medical use. The team, led by Dr Jules R Dugre, said existing evidence on the links between cannabis and violence was ‘limited’ but their project had ‘clinical and violence risk management implications’. Kathy Gyngell, a fellow of the Centre for Policy Studies think-tank, welcomed the ‘definitive study’ and called for official action. ‘Government has been seriously negligent,’ she said. More than 20 US states have in recent year’s legalised cannabis for medical purposes. Four states, Colorado, Alaska, Oregon and Washington have allowed its recreational use. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4950206/Smoking-cannabis-DOES-make-people-violent.html USA – FDA warns marijuana companies marketing unproven cancer products The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) issued warning letters to four companies illegally selling products online that claim to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure cancer without evidence to support these outcomes. In their statement it said this a violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and put patients at risk in using products not proven to be safe or effective.“The deceptive marketing of unproven treatments may keep some patients from accessing appropriate, recognized therapies to treat serious and even fatal diseases.” The FDA has grown increasingly concerned at the proliferation of products claiming to treat or cure serious diseases like cancer. Cannabidiol (CBD), a component of the marijuana plant that is not FDA approved is marketed in a variety of product types, such as oil drops, capsules, syrups, teas, and topical lotions and creams. “We don’t let company’s market products that deliberately prey on sick people with baseless claims” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. “There are a growing number of effective therapies for many cancers. Commissioner Gottlieb added. “We recognize that there’s interest in developing therapies from marijuana and its components, but the safest way for this to occur is through the drug approval process, not through unsubstantiated claims made on a website.” https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm583295.htm USA – Teen alcohol/marijuana users get poorer grades, are more aggressive Scientists followed marijuana and alcohol use among 6500 teenage students in the USA over a seven year longitudinal study for the RAND Corporation. Youths aged 11 to 17 were required to complete surveys between middle and high school. Researchers found these learners had worse grades and delinquent aggressive behavior. Lead author of the study and behavioral scientist Dr Elizabeth D’Amico said that the study showed alcohol and marijuana use were issues that needed to be tackled early on in life, especially in Asian, black and Hispanic students. To highlight the dangers of cannabis and alcohol use in young adults; users ended up in lower social classes, worked in less skilled jobs and were more aggressive. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3640514/Why-parents-really-right-Teenagers-use-alcohol-smoke-weed-poorer-grades.html#ixzz4y0KTEGQ4   Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International]]>

 

Abortion	South Africa – Political party seeks to repeal abortion act USA – Two states ban abortion on pain-capable babies USA – What really happens inside an abortion clinic? UK – Woman changed her mind about abortion
Alternative Medicine	No news today
Euthanasia	Canada – Nine out of ten Quebec caregivers support MAiD for the demented
IVF& Surrogacy	USA – Sperm bank adds criminal check and psych assessment
Medical Ethics	Canada – Embryo gene-editing: Ethicists urge caution Australia – Children can write their own advance care directives in Victoria
Pedophilia	UK – Police go online to track down paedophiles
Pornography	UK – Increase in child-on-child sex abuse USA – Sexting Bill to give young people a second chance
Same Sex Attraction	USA – CDC latest report shows a rise in STDs Serbia – Urologist informs an increase in sex-change regret Malaysia – Health Department discusses new HIV trend UK – More young people regret sex-change surgery
Sexual Exploitation	India – Experts fear legalization of child labour New Zealand – Ex-prostitute opposes the decriminalization of prostitution USA – Knowingly exposing others to HIV no longer a felony in California Netherlands – Country fails to regulate human trafficking
Substance Abuse	No news today

 

Abortion

South Africa – Political party seeks to repeal abortion act

The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) of South Africa is proposing amendments to the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1996 and to repeal the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Amendment Act, 2004. Some of these amendments include making every risk of the abortion procedure known to the woman; substitute the meaning of gestation period to being the first day of the menstrual period in relation to pregnancy and to confirm it with an ultrasound. Also to ensure access to ultrasounds, and counselling with referrals to a social worker that would help the pregnant woman get access to a social grant, safe housing or adoption services.

http://acdp.intohost.co.za/index.php?item_id=1138

USA – Two states ban abortion on pain-capable babies Washington DC and Iowa both ruled to ban abortion on babies that feel pain 20 weeks after gestation (half way through the pregnancy). Furthermore, Iowa also ruled in favour of a pro-life law in which the mother should wait 72 hours before deciding to end her baby’s life, and through an ultrasound have the opportunity to see and hear her baby’s heartbeat. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/iowa-law-requiring-72-hour-waiting-period-upheld-in-loss-for-planned-parent

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-u.s.-house-votes-on-banning-late-term-abortion-on-babies-who-feel

USA – What really happens inside an abortion clinic?

The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene confirmed that an abortion clinic opened by late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart is unlicensed and poses a great danger to the health and safety of women who seek abortions. Pro-life group Operation Rescue uncovered the location of the clinic and is warning the communities. Apparently Carhart has no admitting privileges at any hospital, and hasn’t since 1982. He has been aborting babies for nearly seven years in another town and at least 10 women were rushed to the hospital emergency room by ambulance because of the risky abortion procedures. One woman, Jennifer Morbelli, died from complications to a 33-week abortion.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/new-abortion-facility-will-offer-to-kill-unborn-babies-at-any-stage-in-preg

UK – Woman changed her mind about abortion

The BBC interviewed a woman who changed her mind about abortion after a pro-life group called Abort67 offered help through handing out leaflets to the women at the clinic. The goal of this interview was to determine whether or not protests should be banned outside abortion clinics. Alina said she felt like abortion was her only option after Mary Stopes refused her any help or counseling like they advertise on their website. She explained that she finally felt like there was another option when a pro-life woman handed her a leaflet offering her help. Alina underlined that she did not feel pressurized by the approach in any way.

https://youtu.be/_kgvV8Lra9w

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Alternative Medicine

No news today

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Euthanasia

Canada – Nine out of ten Quebec caregivers support MAiD for demented

A new study claims that nine out of ten Quebec caregivers want to extend the province’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) law to patients with dementia. The study, presented by Université de Sherbrooke epidemiologist Gina Bravo, involved 302 caregivers from across Quebec. According to Bravo, 91{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of respondents supported extending the law to patients with dementia, while 72{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of respondents said they were favorable to it even in the absence of a written directive. Bravo said that the purpose of the study was not “to vote for or against [the issue]”, and she acknowledged that “the difficulties of applying such a law [i.e. one that permits MAiD for demented patients] cannot be ignored.”

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/nine-out-of-ten-quebec-caregivers-support-maid-for-the-demented-new-study/12470 http://www.newswire.ca/fr/news-releases/extend-medical-assistance-in-dying-to-incapacitated-persons-91-of-caregivers-asked-say-yes-646445683.html

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IVF&Surrogacy

USA – Sperm bank adds criminal checks and psych assessment

California Cryobank has become the first to add clinical psychological assessment and criminal background checks to the donor screening process. “We believe in robust screening as well as quality informed consent”, says Cryobank Medical Director Jaime Shamonki. “Our screening process selects for the most committed, altruistic, and informed donors.” Cryobank’s move may be that Xytec Corp, an Atlanta sperm bank is being sued for misrepresenting the character of a donor whose sperm led to the birth of 36 children. He was described on Xytec’s website as a man with an IQ of 160, an internationally acclaimed drummer and PhD student in neuroscience engineering. In reality he was a convicted criminal with several mental illness diagnoses including schizophrenia, narcissistic personality disorder and grandiose delusions.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/sperm-bank-to-add-criminal-check-and-thorough-psych-assessment-to-screening/12463

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Medical Ethics

Canada – Embryo gene-editing: Ethicists urge caution

Writing in Impact Ethics, Francois Baylis of Dalhousie University and Alana Cattapan of the University of Saskatchewan describe current Canadian law — which prohibits altering “the genome of a cell of a human being or in vitro embryo such that the alteration is capable of being transmitted to descendants” — as in line with current “international standards”. “the prohibition on editing the human genome is consistent with international standards…Article 13 of the Oviedo Convention stipulates that: “An intervention seeking to modify the human genome may only be undertaken for preventive, diagnostic or therapeutic purposes and only if its aim is not to introduce any modification in the genome of any descendants””.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/embryo-gene-editing-canada-v.-china/12459

Australia – Children can write their own advance care directives in Victoria

In a world first, the Australian state of Victoria is allowing children of any age to write their own advance care directive that doctors are obliged to follow. If a child has made a valid advance directive in which they have included instructions to refuse a particular medical treatment, such as dialysis or chemotherapy, a health practitioner must not provide that treatment. Writing in The Conversation, health law expert Carolyn Johnston said: “Parents want to protect their children and health-care practitioners want to do the best for their patients. Advance directives should be drafted as a collaboration between the child, health professionals and, ideally, parents. This will enable understanding of the possible treatment options, their benefits and harms, and the impact of refusing certain treatment, resulting in a meaningful and effective advance decision.” There has been significant debate amongst bioethicists about the “competency” of children when deciding about treatment options.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/children-can-write-their-own-advance-care-directives-in-victoria/12461

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Pedophilia

UK – Police go online to track down paedophiles

The Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) is a special group of police who work 24/7 across the world to track down paedophiles who target youngsters online. They are a group of specialists that worked on rape cases and also technician specialists that can track down even the paedophiles that are savvy or intelligent. Whenever they suspect a child of being a target of a paedophile, they immediately visit the child and notify the parents. The sole purpose of POLIT is to focus on intervening predators who want to abuse children and stop it before it happens.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/behind-scenes-northumbria-polices-specialist-13773142

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Pornography

UK – Increase in child-on-child sex abuse

In the last four years the United Kingdom has reported 30,000 instances of child-on-child sexual abuse, with annual numbers increasing by 71 percent. This information was collected from 38 police departments across England and Wales and it shows that sexual offenses by children under the age of 10 and below have doubled from 204 in 2013-2014 to 456 in 2016-2017. Of the 30,000 total reports, 74{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} were never pursued by police. Hundreds of students have also been suspended temporarily or even permanently for watching pornographic images.

http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/09/uk-reports-of-child-on-child-sex-abuse-are-skyrocketing/

USA – Sexting Bill to give young people a second chance

Ohio state representatives Brian Hill and Jeff Rezabek have co- sponsored a bill that would reduce penalties for young people under the age of 21 who create or posses or distribute sexually explicit material involving minors. House Bill 355 allows for the taking of sexually explicit photos through any telecommunications device not be criminally charged if it’s a first offense. The offender has to complete a sexting educational diversion program which is state funded. Although prosecutors feel that this bill is shielding sexual predators from prosecution, Hill said he was considering an amendment that would state a maximum age difference and the age limit. Predators shouldn’t escape punishment but kids who may not know better deserve a second chance.

http://www.newarkadvocate.com/story/news/local/2017/10/09/proposed-sexting-bill-designed-give-young-people-second-chance/106462514/

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Same Sex Attraction

USA – CDC latest report shows a rise in STDs The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new report this year called Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2016. The report shows a spike in STDs in the US with the highest increase among people who practice homosexuality. In the case of Chlamydia, the men having sex with men (MSM) population begins to show a higher prevalence of the infection, starting at age 25. Regarding syphilis, the report said MSM also contributed to the consistent increase in the infection almost every year since 2001: “During 2000–2016, the rise in the P&S syphilis rate was primarily attributable to increased cases among men and, specifically, among MSM.” The report reveals that men account for 90 percent of all primary and secondary syphilis cases, and of these men, active homosexuals account for 80.6 percent of cases where the gender of the sexual partner was known. https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats16/CDC_2016_STDS_Report-for508WebSep21_2017_1644.pdf Serbia – Urologist informs an increase in sex-change regret Miroslav Djordievic an urologist in Belgrade that specializes in gender reassignment surgery warns of a rise in transgender patients that seek reversal surgeries. He performed seven reversal surgeries in the past five years and explains how patients who want to reverse the surgery show high levels of depression and suicidal thoughts. Other researchers report hearing the same such regrets. Charles Kane is one such example in a BBC documentary called One Life: Make me a Man Again, where he describes how female hormones made him want the surgery and all this after having a nervous breakdown. Djordievic is concerned over the psychiatric evaluation at other clinics because his patients tell him that they receive minimal information on the procedure. http://www.newsweek.com/transgender-women-transgender-men-sex-change-sex-reassignment-surgery-676777 Malaysia – Health Department discusses new HIV trend Dr. Rohaya Ramli a senior principal director (HIV/STI) of the Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Health Department says HIV infections have declined in the country but, there is a new trend emerging. 65 percent of HIV infections are now contributed by homosexual and bisexual groups whereas heterosexual groups only account for 31 percent. Dr. Rohaya said the Health Ministry launched a campaign that aims to prevent and control the infection by focussing on the youth and high-risk groups which include prostitutes, homosexuals and drug users by urging them to take screening tests. http://english.astroawani.com/malaysia-news/homosexuals-bisexuals-biggest-hiv-contributors-expert-157558

UK – More young people regret sex-change surgery

Psychotherapist James Caspian who works with transgender and transsexual people’ proposal to research the growing amount of transgender people who regret having the surgery was rejected by Bath Spa University in fear of controversy. Caspian told BBC Radio 4, the very purpose of a university is to encourage discussion, research and challenge ideas that are out of date or not useful. He said this research was needed because he found many young people are now regretting the surgery and some were even traumatised by it. Older studies on the subject were “out of date” and new research is important.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/psychotherapist-gender-assignment-surgery-reverse-research-stop-trans-bath-spa-university-james-a7965281.html

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Sexual Exploitation

India – Experts fear legalization of child labour With the ever increasing number of unemployment in India experts fear that child labour is increasing quickly. Ruchira Gupta who represents Apne Aap Women Worldwide, an organization that works against sex trafficking in India says that there are two laws that have a very dangerous impact on the poorest girls. Firstly the law that legalized child labour in sectors such as family based enterprises and audio-visual entertainment, and the second law which is trying to delink trafficking from sexual exploitation. Combined these laws will make 80{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of human trafficking victims for sexual and labour exploitation invisible. Data will show a decrease in human trafficking in India but it will increase the number of child laboures and prostituted children. Gupta was one of the representatives from the NGO sector who were allowed to speak at the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on human trafficking. http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/recent-law-amendments-are-moving-towards-legalising-child-labour-in-india-fear-experts-330759.html New Zealand – Ex-prostitute opposes the decriminalization of prostitution BBC has recorded the testimony of Sabrinna Valisce from New Zealand who was a prostitute for over 25 years and why she regrets having lobbied for the decriminalization of prostitution. After experiencing abuse from her stepfather she looked for a better life on the streets selling sex to a man who offered her $100 for the act. In 1989 she was part of New Zealand Prostitutes Collective and was a supporter of the campaign for full decriminalization of all aspects of prostitution, including pimps. The Prostitution Reform Act proved to be a total disaster because it benefitted the brothel owners to offer buyers an “all-inclusive” deal that would mean women wouldn’t be able to set the price or determine which sexual services they offered and refused. During a shift at a brothel in Wellington she witnessed another prostitute experience a nervous breakdown after being shouted at by the owners for providing incomplete services to a buyer and this convinced her that Prostitutes Collective should be working on services to help get out, this was ignored. She left prostitution in early 2011, moved to Australia seeking a new direction in life and met women who were abolitionists, a model currently being considered by the UK’s Home Affairs Select Committee, which criminalizes the buyers and pimps while decriminalizing the prostituted person. Valisce has since set up a group called Australian Radical Feminists that assists women who have gone through the sex trade and has set up campaigns that expose the harms that prostitution brings. They are also determined to ensure that the women who were silenced by their abusers have a voice. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-41349301 USA – Knowingly exposing others to HIV no longer a felony in California California lawmakers have passed legislation to reduce the penalty for those who knowingly or intentionally expose others to HIV without their knowledge, rolling back a law that mostly affected prostitutes. The bill, SB 239, which was approved by the Democrat-controlled state legislature in September and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, will lower the charges for these acts from a felony to a misdemeanour when the law goes into effect in 2018. The act of knowingly donating HIV-infected blood, also a felony now, will be decriminalized. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/10/09/knowingly-infecting-others-with-hiv-is-no-longer-a-felon Netherlands – Country fails to regulate human trafficking Over 6,000 people in the Netherlands are victims of human trafficking every year, two-thirds of whom are coerced into the sex trade, according to a new report from the national reporter on trafficking in human beings and sexual violence Dutch girls form the biggest group of victims, some 1,320 every year, but because they are more likely to be hidden victims, they don’t get the protection they need, the report states. It is the first time the Dutch organisation has published an estimate for the number of trafficking victims. The research was carried out together with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Some 46{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of cases involve coercion within the sex trade in the Netherlands itself and a further 21{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} stem from cross-border trafficking for the sex industry – mainly prostitution. Other areas of exploitation include forced labour and forced criminal activity. One in six victims is male, of whom over 50{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} have been brought to the Netherlands and forced to work or join criminal gangs, the report shows. The estimated total is over six times that of the actual number of reports, whose total fell 17{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} last year to 952. Human trafficking is not in decline. We now know that the number of victims is around 6,250 a year and this means an increasing number of cases are under the radar. This should lead the police to make extra capacity free to combat human trafficking, The number of people in the Netherlands found guilty of human trafficking went down 25{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} in 2016 to just 103, the NRC (Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant) said earlier this year. The maximum penalty for human trafficking was increased to 12 years in 2012 but the average sentence was 585 days. Just five suspects last year were jailed for more than 1,500 days and almost a quarter of suspects are eventually found not guilty, the paper said. http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/10/some-6000-people-a-year-in-the-netherlands-are-victims-of-trafficking/

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Substance Abuse

No news today

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Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International

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Abortion

USA – Abortion clinic closed permanently due to health standards

USA – Studies on victims of rape and abortion

Alternative Medicine

No news today

Euthanasia

UK – Is fear of being a burden a good reason for assisted suicide?

USA – Assisted suicide push fails in New York

Netherlands – Will assisted suicide always provide a quick gentle death?

UK – Man with motor neuron disease patient loses assisted suicide bid

IVF& Surrogacy

USA – The harmful medical outcome of surrogacy

Medical Ethics

USA – Survey: most Americans support editing the human genome

USA – First anti-ageing drugs ready for trial

USA – Wesley Smith on “justice for Jahi”

USA – Nurses Association endorses voluntary stopping of food and drink

Pedophilia

Australia – Expert discusses paedophile behaviour

Pornography

USA – Seeks to declare Porn a public health crisis

Same Sex Attraction

Brazil – Therapy should be available for unwanted sexual desires

USA – Children removed from school that teaches transgenderism

Sexual Exploitation

USA – HBO TV Series Normalizes Sexual Violence

Germany – Country Introduces Unpopular Prostitution Law

USA – Researchers Say Bitcoin Data Could Help Spot Sex Traffickers

USA – NCOSE is building a movement to end online sex trafficking

USA – Reporting on prostitution reveals its true nature

Substance Abuse

No news today

 

Abortion

USA – Abortion clinic closed permanently due to health standards

An abortion clinic in Pennsylvania has closed permanently because it failed 44 pages of Health and Safety standards. Pennsylvania’s Health Department issued a deficiency report on the Women’s Center for using expired medical supplies, failing to keep record of patients receiving anaesthesia and failing to conduct legally required background checks on employees working with minors. In 2016 they had to send a 30-year-old woman to hospital in an ambulance because the abortion went wrong. The Center had no registered doctor or nurse to supervise women recovering from anaesthesia or the abortion procedure. Cheryl Sullenger, senior vice president at Operation Rescue said this was the same for abortion centres across America.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/horrific-practices-persist-abortion-facility-forced-to-close-after-44-pages?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=a7cc7a8da8-Daily{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520Headlines{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520-{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520U.S.&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-a7cc7a8da8-401370277

USA – Studies on victims of rape and abortion

Strong evidence from a scientific study titled “Associations between Intimate Partner Violence and Termination of Pregnancy” concluded that abortion is accompanied by “High rates of physical, sexual, and emotional interpersonal violence were found across six continents among women seeking termination of pregnancy”. Dr. Sandra Mahkom’s study found that 75 to 85 percent of impregnated rape victims did not have abortions. The Elliot Institute’s research found that the women who had abortions said they felt pressured by families and healthcare workers not because the women wanted the abortion but rather that they responded to the demands of others.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/man-charged-with-raping-teen-stepdaughter-took-her-to-planned-parenthood?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=9923214167-Daily{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520Headlines{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520-{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520U.S.&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-9923214167-401370261

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Alternative Medicine

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Euthanasia

UK – Is fear of being a burden a good reason for assisted suicide?

In Oregon, 48.9{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of patients who ended their lives under the state’s assisted suicide act said that fear of being a burden was one of their reasons. We should be very worried by this, argues Charles Foster, a British medical ethicist, in the blog Practical Ethics. Foster goes on to argue that “The law should be framed in such a way as to encourage the attitudes in families and carers that make impossible the feeling, ‘I’m a burden’.”

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/is-fear-of-being-a-burden-a-good-reason-for-assisted-suicide/12425?utm_source=BioEdge&utm_campaign=0cd639c62f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_09_09&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_76ab23e62c-0cd639c62f-124733715

USA – Assisted suicide push fails in New York

A New York Court has rejected a petition by three terminally ill patients to be allowed access to assisted suicide drugs. “The New York assisted suicide statutes apply to anyone who assists an attempted or completed suicide,” the court wrote in its unanimous decision. “There are no exceptions.” Assisted suicide and euthanasia are currently illegal in New York.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/assisted-suicide-push-fails-in-new-york/12421?utm_source=BioEdge&utm_campaign=0cd639c62f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_09_09&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_76ab23e62c-0cd639c62f-124733715

Netherlands – Will assisted suicide always provide a quick gentle death?

The gold standard for human experimentation is a randomly-assigned, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Organizing such a study to assess the effectiveness of the lethal medications used for executions in the United States and for physician-assisted suicide (PAS), has significant ethical issues and so we need to rely on historical data. In the latest issue of the Journal of Law and the Biosciences, Sean Riley, an end-of-life researcher currently studying in the Netherlands reviews the patchy record of the drugs used in executions and PAS. He summarizes his findings as follows: The pervasive belief that these, or any noxious drugs are guaranteed to provide for a peaceful and painless death, must be dispelled.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/will-assisted-suicide-always-provide-a-quick-and-gentle-death/12467

UK – Man with motor neuron disease patient loses assisted suicide bid

A British court has once again supported a ban on assisted suicide. Noel Conway, a 67-year-old with motor neuron disease, had appealed to the court to allow him to die through assisted suicide when his health deteriorated. His legal argument was that the Suicide Act 1961, which sets out the law on assisted dying, is incompatible with Article Eight of the European Convention on Human Rights. His lawyers argued that the law should be changed to permit others to assist him to commit suicide without risking prosecution. However, after reviewing most of the recent developments in the assisted dying debate over the past four decades, three justices of the High Court rejected his claim.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/british-man-with-motor-neurone-disease-loses-fight-for-assisted-suicide-in-/12466

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IVF&Surrogacy

USA – The harmful medical outcome of surrogacy

Jennifer Lahl, R.N., M.A., president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network (CBC) has 25 years of experience as a paediatric critical care nurse, hospital administrator, and senior-level nursing manager. Quoting multiple studies, she explains how surrogacy is harmful to the surrogate because many embryos are transferred into the surrogate mother and as The British Journal of Medicine warns, “Multiple pregnancies are associated with maternal and perinatal complications such as gestational diabetes, fetal growth restriction and pre-eclampsia as well as premature birth.” Surrogacy often involves the use of donor eggs, and there have been no long-term studies of the effects of egg harvesting on the health of the young women who provide their eggs. This makes it impossible for women to give true, meaningfully informed consent relative to the health and psychological risks involved. In addition, the medical process required for egg retrieval is lengthy and there are known medical risks associated with each step. Risks include Ovarian Hyper Stimulation syndrome (OHSS) due to superovulation, loss of fertility, ovarian torsion, stroke, kidney disease, premature menopause, ovarian cysts, and in some rare cases, death.

http://cbc-network.org/pdfs/CBC-Lahl_Telling_the_Truth_about_Surrogacy_in_the_United_States.pdf

Medical Ethics

USA – Survey: most Americans support editing the human genome

A survey in the journal Science found that about two-thirds of American respondents support therapeutic editing in both cells that would be inherited and those that would not, with 65 percent of respondents supporting therapy in germline cells and 64 percent supporting therapy in somatic cells. When considering enhancement editing, however, support depended more upon whether the changes would affect future generations. Only 26 percent of people surveyed supported enhancement editing in heritable germline cells and 39 percent supported enhancement of somatic cells that would not be passed on to children. “A majority of people are saying that germline enhancement is where the technology crosses that invisible line and becomes unacceptable,” said author Dietram A. Scheufele.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/survey-most-americans-support-editing-the-human-genome/12422

USA – First anti-ageing drugs ready for trial

Writing in the Journal of American Geriatrics this week, doctors from the Mayo Clinic and Scripps Research Institute outline a set of new clinical trial to test the efficacy and safety of “Senolytics”, a new class of drugs that target mechanisms in the ageing process. Senolytics target a process known as “cell senescence”, in which moribund cells begin to accumulate in different parts of the body and (in some cases) disrupt the functioning of healthy cells. Senescence is associated with failing heart health, osteoporosis, general run-of-the-mill frailty, and even cancer. Senolytic drugs trigger a specific gene that leads cells to die a normal death and prevents them from interfering with other cell functions. “This is one of the most exciting fields in all of medicine or science at the moment,” said Dr. James Kirkland, director of the Kogod Center on Aging at the Mayo Clinic and lead author of the new paper. The researchers argue that the new drugs “could transform geriatric medicine by enabling prevention or treatment of multiple diseases and functional deficits in parallel, instead of one at a time”.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/first-anti-ageing-drugs-ready-for-trial/12419

USA – Wesley Smith on “justice for Jahi”

The legal dispute over Jahi McMath, a 13-year-old girl alleged to be brain dead has received renewed attention after a judge ruled she may in fact be alive. Bioethicist Wesley J Smith visited McMath in hospital and feels there is evidence to suggest she no longer meets the criteria for brain death. McMath appears to respond to requests from her mother to move her fingers, and video evidence suggests she is capable of other autonomous motory operations. “I am stunned that the medical and bioethics communities generally show such a pronounced lack of curiosity about Jahi’s situation…Perhaps it is just a case of “experts” not wanting to know, because if Jahi isn’t dead, it would have epochal legal, social, medical, and scientific ramifications.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/wesley-smith-on-justice-for-jahi/12429

USA – Nurses Association endorses voluntary stopping of food and drink

Many patients require artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) at the end of life. But what should medical staff do when a patient seeks to hasten death by having ANH withdrawn? Despite the ethical complexities, medical guidelines are vague and, in some cases, non-existent. But the American Nurses Association has issued a new position statement that categorically endorses “voluntary stopping of eating and drinking” (VSED). In the statement, the ANA asserts; “VSED at the end of life is used to hasten death, and is a reflection of autonomy and the patient’s desire for control.” According to the Association, VSED should be respected by nurses, as “patients who are at the end of life likely have reasons for stopping nutrition and hydration”.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/american-nurses-association-endorses-vsed/12430

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Pedophilia

Australia – Expert discusses paedophile behaviour Cyber Safety expert Susan McLean discusses the behaviour of paedophiles after Ben McCormack (a former Australian reporter) was caught by police sharing conversations with another man about how they sexually desire young boys on social media. McLean explains that paedophiles normalise what they do, don’t see it as wrong, only regret it when they are caught and even advise each other on how to get closer to young children. She says that some paedophiles operate in isolation, targeting children for grooming and try to solicit photos while a newer online breed, collects photos and videos of children but do not make contact. There are those who do make contact and finally you have those who like to connect with like-minded individuals. If paedophiles like the look of the child, they not only like naked pictures but also uniforms, swim suits, sports clothes etc. Parents need to understand this. It was discovered that Instagram, Facebook, Viber; online games like Minecraft and streaming apps are popular among paedophiles. http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/kids/gnoc-get-naked-on-cam-the-secret-world-of-australias-paedophiles/news-story/82052b43cc9139a72fa1d9105fb8e23f

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Pornography

USA – Seeks to declare Porn a public health crisis Arkansas, Tennessee, South Dakota, and Utah have formally recognized the public health harms of pornography and Florida is soon to follow. According to bill H.R. 157 that Republican Ross Spano filed, pornography is “contributing to the hyper sexualisation” of adolescents and claims that kids who view adult content are at a higher risk of developing low self-esteem, eating disorders and a desire to engage in dangerous sexual behaviour. The bill therefore orders the state to also create “recovery programs” for porn-addicts and said there is a need for education, prevention, research and policy change to protect the citizens of the state. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, the country’s leading anti-pornography organization applauds Rep. Ross Spano for this proposal. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/sep/21/anti-porn-bill-touted-florida-senator/

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Same Sex Attraction

Brazil – Therapy should be available for unwanted sexual desires

Judge Waldemar Claudio de Carvalho issued a ruling that sided with a psychologist who lost her license in 2016 after working with at least one patient to overcome same-sex attraction. Austin Ruse, president of the Center for Family and Human Rights said to deny these rights to people seeking help is a strike at their freedom and that the Judge did the right thing. Pro-LGBT libertarians have argued in favour of allowing people to seek therapy for unwanted sexual attractions. Banning certain therapies is “actually censoring and forbidding types of discussion,” Scott Shackford wrote in Reason magazine in 2016.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/brazilian-judge-its-okay-for-therapists-to-help-patients-with-unwanted-gay?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=9923214167-Daily{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520Headlines{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520-{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520U.S.&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-9923214167-401370261

USA – Children removed from school that teaches transgenderism

In California, 41 families have removed 73 children from school over a boy that was reintroduced to the children as a girl wearing a dress. The parents were not informed of this and their 5 year-olds were traumatized asking if they too will turn into the opposite sex. There is uncertainty of what exactly happened in the classroom and the school board along with the teacher refuse to disclose any information. California law requires parent notification and offers the parent to disallow their children to be part of sex education but the school refused to inform parents and rejected the parents request to be notified in the future.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/70-kids-and-counting-leave-school-over-transgender-lesson-for-5-year-olds?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=d11539f9aa-Daily{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520Headlines{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520-{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520U.S.&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-d11539f9aa-401370277

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Sexual Exploitation

USA – HBO TV Series Normalizes Sexual Violence

The HBO television series ‘The Deuce’ glorifies and normalizes sexual behaviours and violence. The main themes are pornography and prostitution where performers team up for very disturbing pornographic scenes that have graphic sexual content. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) condemns HBO for building its business model on sexual violence and exploitation and is calling on it to remove the shows programming. Commenting about the show, Executive Director and Vice President of NCOSE, Dawn Hawkins, said producers of The Deuce would need to use mental art to convince themselves that this show is anything but beyond any reasonable degree of exploitative feelings of hatred directed at women. She added that the show will inevitably continue the cycle of degrading women, children and men who are real life victims of sexual violence and exploitation. It is not a documentary but is entertainment that normalizes the sexual exploitation of those who actually undergo the abuses of pornography and prostitution.

http://endsexualexploitation.org/hbo/ 

Germany – Country Introduces Unpopular Prostitution Law

Germany has passed a new prostitution law to fight human trafficking and exploitation. It calls for more control, more regulations and more penalties, which is not popular with the prostitution industry. According to the law, prostitutes must register with local authorities and seek a medical consultation from a public health service. Brothels or businesses that offer sex services will be required to apply for a permit that will only be granted if health, hygiene and room requirements are met. The law prohibits parties in which a prostitute must service several men concurrently and sex without a condom is prohibited. Furthermore, clients who knowingly make use of the services provided by people who have been forced into prostitution will be penalized. Even now that the law has been adopted, Germany still has no consensus on how to fight human trafficking in the industry, through counselling services and aid organizations.

http://www.dw.com/en/germany-introduces-unpopular-prostitution-law/a-39511761

USA – Researchers Say Bitcoin Data Could Help Spot Sex Traffickers

Bitcoin is often described as an anonymous way to pay online but a group of researchers says that data revealed through cryptocurrency’s might help track down sex traffickers. In a paper presented at the Association for Computing Machinery’ annual conference, researchers analyzed sex-related ads placed on the controversial classified listings site Backpage. They sought to locate groups of ads placed on the site by the same person, which they say could help investigators spot behavior that points to human trafficking and sex slavery.“Such a tool would allow officers to confidently use timing and location information to distinguish between ads posted by women voluntarily in this industry versus those by women and children forcibly tracked.”

https://www.fastcompany.com/40463805/researchers-say-bitcoin-data-could-help-spot-sex-traffickers

USA – NCOSE is building a movement to end online sex trafficking

The National Centre on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national organization combating all forms of sexual exploitation, and one of their foremost goals is amending Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), which currently allows broad immunity to websites facilitating sex trafficking. NCOSE is making progress and building a swelling movement for change. Nearly 100 non-governmental organizations, 35 United States Senators, over 150 members of the U.S. Congress, and finally, influential corporations like Walt Disney and Oracle have joined their side of the debate.

http://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/thank-tech-company-standing-online-sex-trafficking/

USA – Reporting on prostitution reveals its true nature The United States of America has joined Germany in reporting and exposing the true harms of prostitution. In a special report in The Vindicator, reporters Jordyn Grzelewski and Joe Gorman placed a spotlight on what some wrongly call the ‘victimless crime’ of prostitution. The detailed report increases the focus on prostitution and human trafficking incidents in Ohio and also exposed the common myth that combating prostitution is a waste of public time and resources. Prostitution has proven links to sexual harassment, rape, verbal abuse, child-sex abuse to mention but a few and one can hardly call the crime victimless. A study in the Journal of Epidemiology shows that women in prostitution have the highest rates of rape and homicides of any group of women studied. In addition death among prostitutes is exceptionally high with leading causes ranging from drug ingestion, accidents and alcohol-related causes. Ohio ranks fifth in USA cases of human trafficking, 375 having been reported in 2016 which is a 400 percent increase since 2013. http://www.vindy.com/news/2017/sep/29/crackdown-on-prostitution-shows-true-nat/?print

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Substance Abuse

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Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International

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