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1. American College of Physicians Reaffirms Opposition to Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide ACP also calls for improved hospice and palliative care In “Ethics and the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide,” an updated paper published today in Annals of Internal Medicine, the American College of Physicians (ACP) reaffirmed its opposition to the legalization of physician-assisted suicide and affirmed a professional responsibility to improve the care of dying patients. ACP cites ethical arguments and clinical, policy, legal, and other concerns for its positions. “The American College of Physicians acknowledges the range of views on, the depth of feelings about, and the complexity of the issue of physician-assisted suicide,” said Jack Ende, MD, MACP, president, ACP. “But the focus at the end of life should be on efforts to prevent or ease suffering and on the often unaddressed needs of patients and families. As a society, we need to work to improve hospice and palliative care, including awareness and access.” A recent study found 90 percent of US adults do not know what palliative care is, but when told its definition, more than 90 percent said they would want it for themselves or family members if severely ill.2 Despite recent changes in the legal and political landscape and arguments by proponents, ACP finds ethical and other arguments against physician-assisted suicide to be the most compelling, including that physician-assisted suicide alters the physician’s role as healer and comforter and the medical profession’s role in society, and it affects trust in the patient-physician relationship and the profession. ACP published a position paper in 2001 opposing legalization of physician-assisted suicide. The issue has been reviewed and considered in multiple editions of the ACP Ethics Manual, now in its 6th edition. ”Ethics and the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide” was developed in light of  increasing calls for legalization, public interest in the topic, and continuing problems with access to palliative and hospice care, and considers clinical practice, ethics, law, and policy issues. The updated paper discusses the role of palliative and hospice care, explores the nature of the patient-physician relationship and the critical distinction between refusal of life-sustaining treatment and physician-assisted suicide, and provides recommendations to physicians for responding to patient requests for physician-assisted suicide, recognizing that some individual cases will be medically and ethically challenging. As noted in the paper, medical ethics and the law strongly support a patient’s right to refuse treatment, including life-sustaining treatment. The intent is to avoid or withdraw treatment judged by the patient as unduly burdensome and inconsistent with her health goals and preferences. Death follows naturally after the refusal due to underlying disease. Vigorous management of pain and symptoms such as nausea at the end of life is ethical and, indeed appropriate, even when the risk of shortening life is foreseeable, if the intent is to relieve those symptoms. ACP recognizes that improvements need to be made to fully realize the principles and practice of hospice and palliative care, including improving access to, financing of, and training in palliative care; improving hospital, nursing home, and at-home capabilities in delivering care; and encouraging advance care planning and openness to discussions about dying. ACP advises physicians to thoroughly discuss patient concerns and reasons for requests for physician-assisted suicide. The paper has a list of 12 steps that physicians should follow with all patients nearing the end of life. Requests for physician-assisted suicide are unlikely to persist when compassionate supportive care is provided, ACP says in the paper. “Through effective communication, high quality care, compassionate support, and the right resources for hospice and palliative care, physicians can help patients control many aspects of how they live out life’s last chapter,” Dr. Ende said. ACP has been long active in end-of-life care issues, with a prior series of consensus panel papers and “Communication about Serious Illness Care Goals: A Review and Synthesis of Best Practices;” content in the ACP Ethics Manual; advocacy on advance care planning, pain management, and other issues; and patient education materials. About the American College of Physicians The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 152,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. https://www.acponline.org/acp-newsroom/american-college-of-physicians-reaffirms-oposition-to-legalization-of-physician-assisted-suicide

2. American Psychiatric Association position on euthanasia

In the current edition of the Psychiatric Times, Dr Mark Konrad outlines the position of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) concerning euthanasia and assisted suicide. Dr Konrad explains: Early in December 2016, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Board of Trustees passed an historic Position Statement that originated in the Assembly and was unanimously supported by the APA Ethics Committee: The APA, in concert with the American Medical Association’s position on Medical Euthanasia, holds that a psychiatrist should not prescribe or administer any intervention to a non-terminally ill person for the purpose of causing death. Some might be concerned that the position only prohibits euthanasia and assisted suicide for people who are not terminally ill. In fact, the APA statement has caused a stir in countries where euthanasia and/or assisted suicide have become legal. Dr Konrad states: People with non-terminal illnesses have been legally euthanized at their own request in several countries for nearly 15 years. This has included certain eligible patients who have only psychiatric disorders. In 2002, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg removed any distinctions between “terminal” and “non-terminal” conditions, and between physical suffering and mental suffering, for legally permitted PAS/E. That was when patients with psychiatric disorders became eligible for this “right” in these countries. Independent consultants have to declare their condition “untreatable,” and the patient needs to declare it to be “insufferable.” Dr Konrad then explains how people with non-terminal psychiatric conditions are approved for euthanasia in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, for example, for psychiatric-only cases, at least 1 consultant is required, but 3 are suggested. At least one should be a psychiatrist but does not have to be. However, the patient can weigh in regarding the “untreatable” criterion as well. It is not based solely on what physicians have to offer, but on what the patient wishes to accept. For example, though potentially effective treatments may be offered, such as ECT, MAOIs, residential treatment, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and vagus nerve stimulation, “competent” patients may refuse these offers. That choice could make their case “untreatable.” So patients can rule on both the “untreatable” and “insufferable” axes; physicians can only opine on the former. In the Netherlands, lethal injections are the most commonly used method to fulfill an approved patient’s death wish. This is often administered by the patient’s treating psychiatrist at home, in the office, or in specialized Levenseinde Klinieks (End of Life Clinics). Between 2008 and 2014, more than 200 psychiatric patients were euthanized by their own request in the Netherlands (1{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of all euthanasia in that country): 52{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} had a diagnosis of personality disorder, 56{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} refused one or more offered treatments, and 20{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} had never even had an inpatient stay (one indication of previous treatment intensity). When asked the primary reason for seeking PAS/E, 66{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} cited “social isolation and loneliness.” Despite the legal requirement for agreement between outside consultants, for 24{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of psychiatric patients euthanized, at least one outside consultant disagreed. Some remarkable stories have been profiled in the Dutch media. For example, a woman was granted euthanasia for chronic PTSD due to childhood sexual abuse. The arguments based on personal autonomy to justify such access to PAS/E are being pushed even further in the Netherlands. Ministers of Health and Justice have proposed to their Parliament that criteria not be limited to medical conditions, but be extended to average citizens who feel they have lived “completed lives.” Dr Konrad then comments on euthanasia for psychiatric conditions in Belgium: From 2014 to 2015, 124 patients in Belgium were euthanized at their own request for psychiatric disorders. These patients had a wide range of psychiatric disorders: 4{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} had schizophrenia; 6{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}, bipolar; 4{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}, autism; 23{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}, dementia; 31{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}, depression; and 32{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}, personality disorders (half of which were borderline disorder). In one Belgian series that covered 2007 to 2011, diagnoses also included substance abuse, autistic spectrum disorder, OCD, ADHD, dissociative disorder, and “complicated grief.” Prominent cases profiled in the Belgian media include a pair of deaf twins euthanized on request because they were going blind, a man with gender identity disorder who was unhappy with surgical results, and another man who sought euthanasia for ego-dystonic homosexuality. Dr Konrad then comments on the new Canadian law that permits euthanasia for psychiatric conditions. In the spring of 2016, at the instructions of their Supreme Court, the Canadian Parliament followed the course of these European countries. Physician-assisted suicide was legalized nationally, and terminal/non-terminal and physical/mental suffering distinctions were effaced. As in Europe, Canadian patients can refuse treatments that might forestall death —and still be eligible. However, thanks to the influence of the Prime Minister, Parliament stopped short of enacting its original intention to allow this for people with only psychiatric disorders. Not surprisingly, several cases of psychiatric patients are working their way through the Canadian courts, demanding that there be no such discrimination for psychiatric patients. One case that received particular attention was a woman with chronic conversion disorder, who successfully fought in the courts to overrule the proscription on PAS/E for psychiatric disorders in her case. Several psychiatrists supported her pursuit of this action. So that legal precedent is now in place in Canada. Dr Konrad then explains how the new California assisted suicide regulations open the door to assisted suicide for psychiatric conditions. Even with current laws, there are emerging regulations that directly affect psychiatric patients in those states that allow assisted suicide. The California Department of Mental Health has adopted a regulation that requires state psychiatric hospitals to provide assisted suicide services to committed patients, if terminally ill. Under this regulation, a court hearing must be held to determine whether the patient is qualified for release to obtain physician-assisted death, even over clinically based objections of the treating psychiatrist. If a patient is deemed eligible, and no outside physicians can be located, the facility must provide fatal care itself, within the hospital. Unlike refusing treatment for mental disorders, committed inpatients’ competent refusal of treatment for medical disorders (eg, diabetes) cannot be overridden, even if refusal may result in death —thus rendering their condition “terminal.” Dr Konrad then explains how the APA position may lead effect euthanasia and assisted suicide statutes world-wide. The APA position implies that, even where legal for the non-terminally ill, it is neither the duty of a psychiatrist to fulfill that right, nor is it ethically appropriate to do so. Some (in the Belgian press) have argued that an American association does not have a place in the discussion of medical and psychiatric practices, which make most sense when seen in the context of different cultures. However, there is an understanding in the domain of medical ethics that there are some principles that transcend cultures. The Ethics Committee of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) has crafted a position similar to that of the APA, which will be submitted for a membership vote at the 2017 World Congress in Berlin. If endorsed, the WPA would be acknowledging that, on this particular issue, the ethical proscription against helping psychiatric patients to commit suicide may be so antithetical to the fundamental ethos of psychiatry that it should indeed be applied worldwide. There was a significant reaction in the Belgian and Netherlands media after the publication of the APA position. Further to that, in Canada there is significant debate as to whether euthanasia should be permitted for psychiatric reasons alone. Finally, the APA position protects psychiatrists who do not agree with killing their depressed or mentally ill patients. Thank you to the APA for creating a path that may lead to the end of killing people with psychiatric conditions. http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.co.za/2017/02/american-psychiatric-association.html?utm_source=News+{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}26+Information+Website&utm_campaign=3cdf6a0876-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_09_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b9d6bb980e-3cdf6a0876-198483333 Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International]]>

 

Abortion	Iceland – Nearly 100{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of Down syndrome babies terminated
Alternative Medicine	USA – Patients choosing alternative cancer therapy double risk of death Asia – Use of alternative medicine does more harm than good
Euthanasia	Canada – Financial suicide -euthanasia’s true color Netherlands – Dutch right-to-die group confirms elder abuse risk
IVF& Surrogacy	Cyprus – Tandem IVF: anything to guarantee a baby
Medical Ethics	China – Scientists one step closer to interspecies organ transplants Australia – Anti-vaxxer resistance movement hits headlines
Pedophilia	No news today
Pornography	Uganda – Country establishes secretariat to enforce pornography laws
Same Sex Attraction	No news today
Sexual Exploitation	USA – Exposing the connections between forms of sexual exploitation
Substance Abuse	Scotland – Heroin and methadone overdoses in Scotland hit record high

 

Abortion

Iceland – Nearly 100{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of Down syndrome babies terminated

In Iceland Down syndrome abortions are probably the highest in the world at nearly 100{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}. The rate in the US is 67 percent (1995-2011); in France 77{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} (2015); and in Denmark 98{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} (2015). “It reflects a relatively heavy-handed genetic counseling,” says Kari Stefansson, the founder of deCODE Genetics, a world-renowned genetics database. “And I don’t think that heavy-handed genetic counseling is desirable. … You’re having impact on decisions that are not medical, in a way.” He went on to say, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with aspiring to have healthy children, but how far we should go in seeking those goals is a fairly complicated decision.”

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/iceland-nearly-100-of-down-syndrome-babies-terminated/12391

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Alternative Medicine

USA – Patients choosing alternative cancer therapy double risk of death

A recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute said patients who chose alternative therapies double their risk of death. The researchers on the study gathered information from 840 patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2013 in the National Cancer Database. The team found that patients who received alternative medicine had a two and a half times greater risk of dying during the five and a half year follow-up period than those who chose conventional methods.  Dr. David Gorski, a surgical oncologist at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute says the new study has “limitations,” including the possibility that the use of conventional medicine is likely to have been under-counted since some patients who choose alternative medicine ultimately, “come back to conventional medicine.

http://www.local8now.com/content/news/Patients-choosing-alternative-cancer-therapy-double-risk-of-death-441310063.html

Asia – Use of alternative medicine does more harm than good

When a mysterious illness strikes people may become more open to using complementary and alternative medicine to get well. Two recent studies done in Singapore led by Dr Manjari Lahiri, author and a senior consultant at National University Hospital’s division of rheumatology show the widespread use of CAM among people and conclude that CAM may sometimes do more harm than good and it delays early treatment of diseases. In the study of 180 patients with early inflammatory arthritis, 74 patients (41 per cent) used CAM before seeing a specialist. The median time from symptom onset to starting the first dose of anti-rheumatic medication was 15.6 weeks for non-CAM users and 21.5 weeks for CAM users.

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/more-harm-than-good

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Euthanasia

Canada – Financial suicide -euthanasia’s true colors

Dr Tanja Daws from British Columbia claimed that it was “not sustainable” to continue killing people under the law. “It’s not for lack of wanting but it’s financial suicide”, she said. And Dr Jesse Pewarchuk, will no longer be accepting referrals as it is “economically untenable”. Dr Pewarchuk, who has reportedly helped 20 people commit suicide, said: “I unfortunately can no longer justify including it in my practice”. Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, has slammed the euthanasia lobby for complaining “that it doesn’t pay enough”. Although they claimed that legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia could save more than $100 million per year for the Canadian health care system.

http://www.christian.org.uk/news/pay-us-money-killing-people-say-canadian-doctors/

Netherlands – Dutch right-to-die group confirms elder abuse risk

The Netherlands legalised both euthanasia and assisted suicide in 2002 and the data shows an overwhelming preference for euthanasia. Again, like Nitschke (who once said: “There will be some casualties…”), The Co-operative Last Will organisation is frank about the possible collateral damage and realizes that it involves risks. An extreme consequence could be that children give the means to their old and wealthy parents because they want to claim their inheritance. Robbing oneself of life is suicide and elder abuse to death is murder. Who would ever know, but collateral damage it will be. Far from stopping Dutch “right-to-die” types in their tracks, such an acknowledgement seems more about deflecting criticism than it is about protecting Dutch citizens from abuse.

https://www.mercatornet.com/careful/view/dutch-right-to-die-group-confirms-elder-abuse-risk-but-doesnt-seem-to-care/20359?utm_source=MercatorNet&utm_campaign=79b633a8d8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_09_06&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e581d204e2-79b633a8d8-124676635

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IVF&Surrogacy

Cyprus – Tandem IVF: anything to guarantee a baby

“Tandem IVF” seems to be the latest suite of techniques to attract older women with low fertility to clinics. One or more embryos created with the older woman’s eggs are combined with embryos created with a donor’s eggs. In this way, even if the mother’s embryos do not survive, the donor’s will and the rate of success will be much higher. Two optional services are offered by some clinics in conjunction with tandem IVF. In cytoplasmic tandem IVF”: the nucleus of the mother’s egg is injected into an enucleated donor egg to rejuvenate it, which is banned in the United States. Second, foetal reduction – if all of the implanted embryos implant and develop the mother might only want the baby from her own embryo, then some clinics offer to abort the baby, or babies, created with donor eggs. Ethically, this is an extremely controversial way of dealing with the issue of multiple births.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/anything-to-guarantee-a-baby/12404

Medical Ethics

China – Scientists one step closer to interspecies organ transplants

A landmark study has reopened the door for xenotransplantation research (interspecies transplants). A team of Chinese and US scientists reported in Science that they had successfully used CRISPR technology to “splice out” 25 porcine endogenous retroviruses from the genetic code of 37 piglets. Scientists now believe that pig organs can be edited to prevent rejection when transplanted into the human body. Co-author Dr Luhan Yang said “We know we have an audacious vision of a world with no shortage of organs, that is very challenging, but that is also our motivation to remove mountains.” The next stage of the research will be to essentially “humanize” the pigs, modifying them enough that their organs can function in the human body.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/scientists-one-step-closer-to-interspecies-organ-transplants/12384

Australia – Anti-vaxxer resistance movement hits headlines

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) is investigating claims of an “underground network of anti-vaccination doctors” that have “helped hundreds of families avoid compulsory immunizations”. In 2016 the Government introduced controversial legislation making access to childcare services and welfare payments conditional on the vaccination of children. Dr Margie Danchin, Senior Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, said that the current system is placing severe pressure on doctors and families: “What we need is fairer polices that are less punitive that remind and encourage all parents to vaccinate, whilst retaining non-medical exemptions but making them very hard to get! That is, an exemption signed every year by the families’ GP stating their reasons not to vaccinate.”

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/anti-vaxxer-resistance-movement-hits-headlines-in-australia/12406

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Pedophilia

No news today

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Pornography

Uganda – Country establishes secretariat to enforce pornography laws

Uganda has one of the strictest anti-pornography laws in Africa and has set up a nine-member pornography control committee to wage war on the spread of pornographic material in the country, which has been blamed for the spread of HIV and a high dropout rate for girls in school. The committee will not only raise awareness about the dangers of pornography but it will also set about destroying adult material and apprehending anybody in possession of pornography, which could be met with a jail sentence of up to 10 years. The legislation covers a range of issues like child pornography, pornographic publications and even suggestive music videos and revealing clothing.

https://meetsmedia.com/world-today/father-lokodo-uganda-has-set-up-a-secretariat-to-enforce-laws-on-pornography.html

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ugandas-porn-patrol-jail-users-10-years-adult-content-blamed-homosexuality-1637292

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Same Sex Attraction

No news today

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Sexual Exploitation

USA – Exposing the connections between forms of sexual exploitation

Dawn Hawkins from the National Centre for Sexual Exploitation met a young girl who shared with her that after sending her boyfriend sexts that he threatened to share the sexts with her parents, teachers, and friends if she didn’t do as he instructed. He went on to sell her for sex again and again to his friends and strangers. The use of sexting and so-called revenge pornography as a form of sexual extortion is sometimes a tactic used by traffickers. In the Journal of Adolescence it indicated that, “Offline sexual coercion was significantly associated with sending and being asked for a naked image, as well as receiving a naked image without giving permission”. This demonstrates that sexting is sometimes “an online extension of offline forms of sexual coercion”.

http://pornharmsresearch.com/2017/07/cant-wait-exposing-connections-forms-sexual-exploitation/

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Substance Abuse

Scotland – Heroin and methadone overdoses in Scotland hit record high

Scottish Government figures show 2,507 people required hospital treatment for overdosing on opioid drugs in 2016, equating to nearly 50 a week and 133 more than 2015. This makes it the highest number since records began in 1999. Figures also show 867 drug deaths in Scotland last year, a 23{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} increase on the previous year and the worst figure on record. Opioids were implicated in, 765 (88{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}) of these deaths. Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said: “We need a new strategy urgently to help these vulnerable people beat this lethal habit for good.” Scotland’s harm reduction approach of providing free long-term use of methadone to heroin addicts has been widely criticized as merely “parking” heroin addicts on methadone. This so-called substitution therapy is costing Scotland tax payers millions of pounds a year.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/15509829.Heroin_and_methadone_overdoses_in_Scotland_hit_record_high/

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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 – Texas permanently bans taxpayer funding of abortion USA – Google and Facebook Protesting Women’s Health Care Clinic
Alternative Medicine	USA – FDA Links Naturopathic Turmeric Death to Contaminated Product
Euthanasia	Netherlands – Latest end-of-life statistics from the Netherlands New Zealand – 80 percent of respondents against legalizing assisted suicide
IVF& Surrogacy	India – Commercial surrogacy still thriving in India
Medical Ethics	USA – New York doctor told to stop marketing 3-person IVF technique UK – Avoiding the next Charlie Gard dispute USA – Has the venerable Belmont Report passed its use-by date?
Pedophilia	No news today
Pornography	Israel – Government takes a hard stance on internet censorship UK – New UK law to block all adult content from the web USA – Children must learn about the consequences of sexting
Same Sex Attraction	USA – Psychological analyses of Gender Dysphoria Australia – Eight major twin studies prove homosexuality is not genetic
Sexual Exploitation	USA – New bill to curb human trafficking epidemic USA – Bringing sex trafficking of males out of the shadows
Substance Abuse	USA – FDA Approves Syndros, First Liquid Form of Cannabinoid Dronabinol USA – Taking dagga for pain is just wishful thinking

 

Abortion

USA – Texas permanently bans taxpayer funding of abortion

Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a bill to restrict state funding for abortion insurance. “As a firm believer in Texas values I am proud to sign legislation that ensures no Texan is ever required to pay for a procedure that ends the life of an unborn child,” Gov. Abbott said. “This bill prohibits insurance providers from forcing Texas policy holders to subsidize elective abortions. I am grateful to the Texas legislature for getting this bill to my desk and working to protect innocent life this special session. HB-214, which the Senate approved, applies to “elective” abortions and specifically includes an exemption for cases of medical emergency to save the mother’s life.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-texas-permanently-bans-taxpayer-funding-of-abortion?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=aaea221f15-Daily{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520Headlines{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520-{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}2520U.S.&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-aaea221f15-401415957

USA – Google and Facebook Protesting Women’s Health Care Clinic

Facebook and Google are co-sponsoring Netroots Nation, an annual gathering of progressive activists and political leaders who are targeting pro-life organization, Human Coalition, and the health care clinics they operate under the name Cura, which provide free medical services and counseling for women with unplanned pregnancies. Google and Facebook are listed as “premier sponsors” of Netroots, alongside far-left organizations like Planned Parenthood. The protest is titled, “Get Fake Clinics Out Of Atlanta!” The organizers appear particularly disturbed by Human Coalition’s use of prayer: their description of the protest includes two direct references to the advocacy group’s promotion of prayers for women considering abortions.

http://dailycaller.com/2017/08/11/google-and-facebook-co-sponsoring-protest-of-pro-life-womens-heath-care-clinic/

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Alternative Medicine

USA – FDA Links Naturopathic Turmeric Death to Contaminated Product

Jade Erick, 30, died after California naturopathic doctor, Kim Kelly, gave her an intravenous preparation of curcumin. An FDA report  found that Imprimis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IMMY), a compounding pharmacy based in San Diego, California, mixed the curcumin emulsion product used in Ms. Erick’s treatment with ungraded castor oil that had a warning label stating, “CAUTION: For manufacturing or laboratory use only.” The FDA found Diethylene Glycol in the lot of castor oil used in the curcumin emulsion made by Imprimis. Curcumin is a trendy yet ineffective substance for treating any medical condition. But this does not seem to deter Imprimis from listing its curcumin product under the oncology section of its website.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brittmariehermes/2017/08/05/fda-links-naturopathic-turmeric-death-to-contaminated-product/#718d10c92db4

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Euthanasia

Netherlands – Latest end-of-life statistics from the Netherlands

Here are statistics from the Netherlands based on the latest figures from 2015. Nearly one death in 20 (4.5{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}) is now due to euthanasia. The figures come from a letter in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. “It looks like patients are now more willing to ask for euthanasia and physicians are more willing to grant it,” said lead author Dr. Agnes van der Heide, of Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam. But the statistics for euthanasia only masks the proportion of end-of-life decisions in the Netherlands. The figures for some categories overlap, but 4.5{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of all deaths happened through euthanasia, 0.1{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} through physician-assisted suicide and 18.3{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} through “continuous deep sedation”.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/latest-end-of-life-statistics-from-the-netherlands/12378

New Zealand – 80 percent of New Zealanders are against legalizing assisted suicide

Eighty percent of New Zealanders who responded to a petition on the issue of ending one’s life were opposed to legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia. The results were part of a report composed in response to a petition presented to the government in June 2015 by past Minister of Parliament, Maryan Street. Opposition was largely based on concerns about vulnerable people, especially the elderly, disabled and those with mental illnesses. The Committee also noted that some “argued that life has an innate value and that introducing assisted dying and euthanasia would explicitly undermine that idea.”

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/80-percent-of-new-zealanders-are-against-legalizing-assisted-suicide

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IVF&Surrogacy

India – Commercial surrogacy still thriving in India

Surrogacy scandals about “baby factories” are still making headlines in India. Police raided a fertility clinic in an up-market suburb in Hyderabad and found 47 pregnant women living a two-storey dwelling. The clinic did not allow them to leave the building until they had delivered their babies. “The women were all huddled in one large room and had access to just one bathroom,” a police officer said. Pinki Virani, an activist who recently wrote a book on assisted reproduction, has urged the government to speed up regulation: … we don’t even know if some of the intending babies from those victims of human trafficking were actually meant to be sold for the internet-infant-porn market.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/commercial-surrogacy-still-thriving-in-india/12377

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Medical Ethics

USA – Has the venerable Belmont Report passed its use-by date?

The 1979 Belmont Report by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research laid the foundations for bioethics standards in the United States the world. It identified three core principles: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice and three areas where ethical analysis was particularly needed: informed consent, assessment of risks and benefits, and selection of subjects. But this was nearly 40 years ago. Is it time for an overhaul? Yes, according to a leading American bioethicist, Art Caplan and three colleagues writing in the American Journal of Bioethics: The authors identify five areas which are poorly served by the Belmont Report’s standards: the line between research and practice is insufficient; unique harms to communities remain unacknowledged; failure to address transparency; the report’s focus on protectionism is incompatible with today’s emphasis on participation; and how the ethical principles are applied. The authors conclude: “Considering the important role the Belmont Report has played and continues to play in research ethics today it is time for a tune-up, if not a complete overhaul.”

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/has-the-illustrious-belmont-report-passed-its-use-by-date/12388

UK – Avoiding the next Charlie Gard dispute

After the passing of British infant Charlie Gard who was at the centre of a treatment dispute that made international headlines, Dominic Wilkinson of the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics argues In the British Medical Journal that “the court of public opinion is surely the worst possible place for ethically complex decisions”. The editors of The Lancet agree with Wilkinson, “Charlie’s legacy could include further work on best practice guidelines for mediation between clinical teams and parents, agreement on a framework for use of experimental treatment, appropriate and timely focus on palliative and hospice care, and encouragement to clinicians offering alternative treatment to ensure they have full knowledge of the facts of the case.”

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/avoiding-the-next-charlie-gard-dispute/12374

USA – New York doctor told to stop marketing 3-person IVF technique

A New York IVF clinic has been told by the US Food and Drug Administration to stop marketing Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT) – an experimental procedure that aims to prevent defective mitochondrial-DNA from being passed on to children. While MRT is prohibited in the US, Dr. Zhang, who last year delivered the first “three parent baby”, and colleagues have set up the New Hope Fertility Clinic in Guadalajara, Mexico. The FDA ordered Zhang to stop advertising the procedure. FDA officials listed several claims made on the New Hope website that needed to be removed immediately. The procedure is not approved in the U.S., and Congress has barred the FDA from even reviewing proposals to conduct MRT trials.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/new-york-doctor-told-to-stop-marketing-3-person-ivf-technique/12381

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Pedophilia

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Pornography

Israel – Government takes a hard stance on internet censorship

The Israeli government has approved a law that allows the court-ordered blocking or removal of internet sites promoting criminal or terrorist activity online. The law targets illegal gambling websites, prostitution and child pornography advertisements, online dealing of hard drugs and the websites of terror groups. The new law will give the police the necessary tools to fight criminals, felons, and inciters who have moved their activities online. Any operators found to be failing to comply with the court order will be imprisoned for two years, according to the new piece of legislation.

https://www.gamblinginsider.com/news/3734/israel-takes-a-hard-stance-on-internet-censorship

UK – New UK law to block all adult content from the web

The UK government has announced an update to the Digital Economy Act which will mean those wanting to view pornographic material online must prove they are 18 or over. Verifying one is over 18 using the electoral roll or mobile phone contract provider have been suggested as possible methods. The UK will then have the most robust internet child protection measures of any country in the world. Online pornography has been seen by 65{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of 15-16 year olds and 48{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of 11-16 year olds, 28{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} have stumbled across pornography while 19{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} had searched for it deliberately according to a National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children report in 2016.

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/829998/Porn-online-pornography-UK-law-ban

USA – Children must learn about the consequences of sexting

According to Michael Rourke, Weld Country district attorney, the “birds and the bees” talks by parents to their children must make room for teaching children about the consequences of sexting. Beyond the emotional impacts juvenile sexting creates it also raises legal implications. As from January 2018 penalties for these kind of crimes begin at a $50 fine or a required education program regarding the risks and consequences of sexting and escalates to 18 months in a community youth corrections facility and up to a $5,000 fine. Legally, those under the age of 18 who send pornographic images of themselves or other juveniles are disseminating child pornography. Sexting is the sending and receiving of nude images or videos through electronic means.

http://www.greeleytribune.com/news/opinion/rourke-time-to-learn-about-juvenile-sexting-law-is-now/

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Same Sex Attraction

USA – Psychological analyses of Gender Dysphoria In June 2017, Dr. Michelle Cretella from The American College of Paediatricians (ACP) released a report called Gender Dysphoria in Children. They say that it is wrong to encourage children to believe that they were born in the wrong body. Dr. Cretella explained that infants are not born with the brains of the opposite sex; the male infant brain is masculinized prenatally by testosterone whereas the female brain is not. The youth is struggling with their sexual identity because of outside factors. Dr. Cretella explains that boys have a tendency to be more feminized due to a lack of a proper relationship with their father. There have been cases where girls are afraid of their father who demonstrate volatile anger and abuse towards the mother, as a result of this a girl may perceive being female as unsafe and psychologically defend against this by feeling like she is really a boy, subconsciously believing that if she were a boy… she would be safe from and loved by her Father. https://youtu.be/2GIFck6RXLg

Australia – Eight major twin studies prove homosexuality is not genetic

In 1991, Australia conducted the first major and reliable identical twins study. In 1997, the U.S. conducted another large study. In 2000, the U.S. and Australia did more twin studies and several studies after that by Scandinavia. All these studies come to the same conclusion that Same Sex Attraction (SSA) is not a genetic condition. SSA stems from factors after birth. For example, one twin might have exposure to pornography or sexual abuse, but not the other. One twin may interpret and respond to their family or classroom environment differently than the other. “These individual and idiosyncratic (unique to the individual) responses to random events and to common environmental factors predominate,” says Dr. Neil Whitehead, PhD. Dr. Whitehead has worked for the New Zealand government for 24 years as a scientific researcher. He explains that identical twins have the same DNA, if homosexuality is a genetic condition, then both twins should be homosexual and not only one. Neutral academic surveys show that half of the homosexual/bisexual population (without reparative therapy or counselling) moves towards heterosexuality over a lifetime. In other words, ex-homosexuals outnumber actual homosexuals.

http://www.jewsnews.co.il/2015/03/08/eight-major-identical-twin-studies-prove-homosexuality-is-not-genetic.html

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Sexual Exploitation

USA – New bill to curb human trafficking epidemic The House of Representatives recently approved an anti-trafficking bill (H.R. 2200) which allocates over $500 million over four years for domestic and international programs to support victims and persons vulnerable to human trafficking. The bill will focus on assistance such as trauma-informed care, long-term housing options and the prevention of child sex trafficking. The bill highlights the importance of workforce training in industries that come into contact with trafficking victims, calling for standard training of airline pilots and flight attendants, as well as incentivizing hotels to train staff to spot signs of trafficking. The fact that H.R. 2200 passed with no recorded opposition is a testament to the fact that human trafficking is being increasingly recognized as a problem. http://allafrica.com/stories/201708030567.html USA – Bringing sex trafficking of males out of the shadows Popular culture rarely acknowledges that boys and men are also victims of sexual abuse and exploitation. Anna Smith, executive director of Restore One, an organization dedicated to helping in the recovery of boys who have been trafficked. Smith was unaware of the sexual victimization of males until she started working with survivors and hearing their stories. She was shocked to hear of males being sold online on Rentboy.com and how little attention the media paid to the issue. She reports that males who experience sexual abuse and report it are often met with disbelief from authorities, medical professionals, and even family members. Smith draws attention to the disturbing lack of programs focused on helping males and the change that needs to be made. http://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/bringing-sexual-abuse-exploitation-boys-men-shadows/ <Back to Top>

Substance Abuse

USA – FDA Approves Syndros, First Liquid Form of Cannabinoid Dronabinol Available by prescription only, Syndros is manufactured by Insys Therapeutics, and is approved to treat patients with AIDS who are experiencing anorexia and weight loss, as well as for people with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy and suffer from nausea and vomiting that has not responded to conventional antiemetic treatments. The hope is that Syndros, or other similar drugs, will prove to be valuable alternatives to opioids for the management of chronic pain, Dr. Raskin said. “Taking a product like Syndros would also likely be safer for pain patients than using medical marijuana, since it is manufactured in a safe and highly regulated environment, while the quality of products purchase through a medical marijuana dispensary can have poor quality control”. https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/resources/news-and-research/fda-approves-syndros-first-liquid-form-cannabinoid-dronabinol USA – Taking dagga for pain is just wishful thinking People using dagga for chronic pain rely more on anecdotal accounts than scientific evidence. US researchers reviewed 27 chronic pain trials in the Annals of Internal Medicine to see whether treating adults with cannabis benefitted or harmed them and found “low strength evidence” they alleviate nerve pain. Up to half of South Africans live in pain every day‚ said Professor Romy Parker‚ director of the Chronic Pain Management Unit at UCT’s Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine. “Pain is a big problem in South Africa. Up to 74{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of women with HIV are living with pain. The researchers found cannabis use in the general population could increase risk for harms‚ including motor vehicle accidents‚ psychotic symptoms‚ and short-term cognitive impairment. https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/health-and-sex/2017-08-15-taking-dagga-for-pain-is-just-wishful-thinking-say-us-researchers/

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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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