Publisher

Abortion

USA – 55{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of Louisiana Voters Want Abortions Made Illegal

USA – AmeriCorps Abortion Scandal

USA – Alabama passes Unborn Child Protection from Dismember Act

USA – Oklahoma Abortionists to be stripped of licenses

Alternative Medicine

UK – Chinese Herb Eyed For Cancer and Liver Disease Treatment

Asia – Two traditional medicines unsafe to use

India: Study – Herbal antibiotics extracted from wild plants

Euthanasia

Belgium – 24 and ready to die?

IVF& Surrogacy

Australia -Genetic screening before IVF

USA – IVF experts divided over mosaic embryos

Australia – Horrific abuse case raises questions

Medical Ethics

Australia – Treatment disagreement gets ugly in Western Australia

USA – Concerns about womb transplants

Canada – Why should we respect conscientious objectors?

Pedophilia

Israel – Justice Minister Mulls Criminalizing the Hiring of Prostitutes

Pornography

USA – Porn and the threat to virility

UK – Sex offenders win right to read porn in jail

USA – YouTube Continues Failing to Enforce its Community Guidelines

USA – Utah declares porn a ‘public health crisis

Same SexAttraction

USA – Disparities in Health Conditions among Lesbian/Bisexual Women

SexualExploitation

Israel – Justice Minister Mulls Criminalizing the Hiring of Prostitutes

South Africa – HIV pre-exposure pill a lifeline for sex workers

Substance Abuse

UK – New study examines the effect of ecstasy on the brain

USA – Simultaneous cocaine, alcohol use linked to suicide risk

Sweden – Heavy marijuana use risk for male deaths by 60

Abortion

USA – 55{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of Louisiana Voters Want Abortions Made Illegal

Pollsters with Louisiana State University asked residents to choose whether abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in all cases or illegal in most cases. When compared to results from a Pew Research Centre poll, it appears that Louisiana residents are more pro-life than most Americans. The Pew poll found that 57 percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases and 40 percent believe it should be illegal in all or most cases.  Gallup polling group’s 2015 survey found different results confirming that 55 percent of Americans oppose 98 percent or more of the 1.1 million abortions that take place annually in the United States.

http://www.lifenews.com/2016/04/20/55-of-louisiana-voters-want-all-or-almost-all-abortions-made-illegal-new-poll-shows/

USA – AmeriCorps Abortion Scandal

An investigation blew the lid off of a shocking new scandal involving AmeriCorps program. The “public service” arm of the federal government, created by Bill Clinton in 1993, did a tremendous disservice to taxpayers, an inspector general has found, by teaming up with the National Association of Community Health Centers to encourage, and in some cases facilitate abortions. Under the massive omnibus spending bill, Republicans gave AmeriCorps a big bump in funding — $50.6 million. The betrayal hits particularly close to home for leaders like Rep. Diane Black who have long championed the good work of these local centers and assumed they would be a natural replacement for the funding Planned Parenthood enjoyed.

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WA16D37&f=WU16D10

USA – Alabama passes Unborn Child Protection from Dismember Act

The Alabama Senate passed The Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Act sponsored by state Sen. Phil Williams. “We are pleased with the progress the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Ban bill is making through the Alabama legislature and are hopeful it will make its way to the governor’s desk for signature,” said Mary Spaulding Balch, director of National Right to Life’s State Legislation Department.”

http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2016/04/alabama-senate-passes-unborn-child-protection-from-dismember-act/#.VyG1zDB97IV

USA – Oklahoma Abortionists to be stripped of licenses

Bill SB 1552that landed on Gov. Mary Fallin’s desk is making headlines nationwide. SB 1552, authored by Sen. Nathan Dahm and Sen. David Brumbaugh, directs the Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision and State Board of Osteopathic Examiners to revoke the medical licenses of doctors who perform abortions. SB 1552, however, does not alter a woman’s right; it simply deals with physicians’ behaviour and those who are committed to protecting life and bringing healing who then act in a manner inconsistent with that commitment.

http://liveactionnews.org/pro-life-bill-oklahoma-strip-physicians-medical-licenses-abortions/

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Alternative Medicine

UK – Chinese Herb Eyed For Cancer and Liver Disease Treatment

Compounds in a plant commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine may help treat cancer and liver disease, according to a new study. Cathie Martin, a professor at the United Kingdom’s John Innes Centre, who led the study found that the Chinese Skullcap or Scutellaria Baicalensis (Huang Qin in Chinese medicine), which has traditionally been used to treat fever as well as liver and lung conditions, contains certain compounds that can effectively combat cancer. Studies on cells cultured in the lab also found that the compounds killed human cancers, but didn’t harm healthy cells. The study was published in the journal Science Advances.

http://www.hngn.com/articles/196101/20160411/traditional-chinese-herb-eyed-cancer-liver-disease-treatment.htm

http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/4/e1501780.full

Asia – Two traditional medicines unsafe to use

The Health Ministry has issued a warning to not buy or use unregistered Chinese traditional medicine products known as Dong Mai Tan and Seven Leaf Ginseng as they contain poisonous substances. The National Adverse Effect Drug Monitoring unit, under the National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau, conducted sample testing on both products and the result showed that the medicines contain dexamethasone, a corticosteroid controlled under the Poison Act 1952. Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said checks on both products confirmed that the medicines were not registered with the Drugs Control Authority.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/04/16/two-traditional-medicines-unsafe-to-use/

India – Study: Herbal antibiotics extracted from wild plants

Antibiotic like compounds can be isolated from commonlygrowing wild plants reveals research conducted by the Amity institute of biotechnology. Professor Priti Mathur conducted her research in collaboration with Dr Manodeep Sen of the Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences and Sanjeev Kanojiya of the Central Drug Research Institute. “We conducted research on eleven plants and found antibiotic characterization in all of them. Of these eleven, we would conduct further experiments on three plants, Datura, Bhang and Chirayata, which have shown high antibiotic characteristics,’ said Mathur. This is the same thing they are doing with marijuana, isolating compounds and identifying which can be used for medicinal purpose.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/Herbal-antibiotics-extracted-from-wild-plants-Study/articleshow/52005954.cms

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Euthanasia

Belgium – 24 and ready to die?

When Emily, 24, obtained permission to be euthanized from a team of three doctors and psychiatrists, the whole idea was that her condition would not and could not improve, and that no treatment whatsoever was available that would rid her of her mental illness, or give her even the slightest hope. Now the fact that she was facing death certainly triggered something in her mind, helping her to find reasons to live. If that means anything, it shows that her despair was not so deep-rooted as to be utterly beyond help.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/depressed-belgian-woman-chooses-life-moments-before-scheduled-euthanasia

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IVF&Surrogacy

Australia -Genetic screening before IVF

Julian Savulescu has called on the Australian government to subsidise preimplantation genetic diagnosis, arguing that genetic screening is in the interests both of children and of future generations. The argument advances his general bioethical theory of procreative beneficence, the view that parents have an ethical duty wherever possible to bring into existence healthy children. “These arguments suggest much more funding should be put into IVF and genetic selection to avoid serious disease but they also extend to other non-disease traits. It is better if people have talents and gifts, are happy, co-operative, empathetic, altruistic and so on… Genetic selection should be supported to have children who will have better lives, not merely healthier lives. It ought to be a priority.”

http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/genetic-diagnosis-should-be-a-government-priority-savulescu/11838#sthash.x5ykokbF.dpuf

USA – IVF experts divided over mosaic embryos

Debate is intensifying among fertility specialists about the use of mosaic embryos in IVF.Mosaic embryos – embryos that are characterized by irregular numbers or arrangements of chromosomes in some cells – have typically not been used by fertility specialists (at least in the US) due to the likelihood that any resulting foetus will suffer from genetic disorders.Dr. Norbert Gleicher, the director of the Centre for Human Reproduction in New York, recently tested Preimplantation Genetic Screening by transferring seemingly abnormal embryos into women seeking IVF. Gleicher has reported four normal pregnancies since he began his test.

http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/ivf-experts-divided-over-mosaic-embryos/11841#sthash.l8Fui0wh.dpuf

Australia – Horrific abuse case raises questions

An Australian case of sexual exploitation of infants has raised questions about international surrogacy. An unnamed 49-year-old man in rural Victoria has pleaded guilty to abusing not only two young nieces, but twins whom he fathered with the help of a donated egg from a woman in Ukraine at an IVF clinic in Asia.His abuse of his daughters began when they were 27 days old and continued for seven months. Amongst the 13,000 images and videos in his possession when he was arrested were 300 of his own daughters.

http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/horrific-abuse-case-raises-questions-over-international-surrogacy/11845#sthash.U9ych4Nl.dpuf

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Medical Ethics

Australia – Treatment disagreement gets ugly in Western Australia

The parents of a six-year-old boy have spoken of their distress after a hospital obtained a court order to force chemotherapy on their child.The parents of Oshin Kiszko, who was diagnosed with advanced brain cancer, believe their son should not have to undergo chemotherapy, as it is not worth the suffering and risks. Instead they asked for palliative care.Yet a Family Court ratified the decision of the Princess Margaret Hospitalethics committee to enforce the treatment.Australian Medical Association WA president Michael Gannon defended the hospital: “This is rare, extremely unusual and would weigh heavily on the individual clinicians involved,” he told a local radio station. “It is something they would almost certainly discuss with their colleagues.”

http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/treatment-disagreement-gets-ugly-in-western-australia/11839

USA – Concerns about womb transplants

A participant of an American trial had to have her recently transplanted womb removed due to a common uterine infection unrelated to the operation.Still, some have used the failed operation to question the research. However, group of researchers from Australia’s Macquarie University had discussed ethical problems surrounding the practice, noting a certain inconsistency that would result from denying womb transplants to infertile women:“Where a woman does not have a functioning uterus, it is far from clear how we might legitimately encourage use of a surrogate (with all its attendant difficulties) but withhold the opportunity to employ an (in principle) established surgical technique – namely, organ transplantation – in order to allow her to achieve a pregnancy ‘of her own’.”

http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/nascent-concerns-about-womb-transplants/11840

Canada – Why should we respect conscientious objectors?

As the Canadian parliament drafts a law to implement assisted suicide and euthanasia some doctors fear they will be forced to perform the procedures or refer patients. But do doctors have a right to appeal to their “moral conscience”. Professor Udo Schuklenk of Queen’s University Ontario contendsin the Journal of Medical Ethics that, “Forcing patients to live by the conscientious objectors’ values constitutes an unacceptable infringement on the rights of patients.” But Dr Nancy Naylor declared in the Canadian Family Physician:”I refuse to let anyone or any organization dictate my moral code. I have no wish to stop. (But) For this reason I am not renewing my license to practice medicine.

http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/why-should-we-respect-conscientious-objectors/11848

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Pedophilia

Israel – Justice Minister Mulls Criminalizing the Hiring of Prostitutes

Ayelet Shaked has formed a committee to examine other European countries’ approach. The committee will also study international models of criminalization of prostitution consumers, including the new French law. The new bill would make every woman working in prostitution or has left prostitution eligible to receive assistance from welfare services, including assured income and pocket money in the rehabilitation stage, assistance with employment, rent, household supplies, supplemental education, medical or psychosocial aid, legal aid, and assistance in strengthening her relationship with her children. The Mitos (The Day after Prostitution) NGO estimates the number to be about 300,000, with payments from consumers totaling NIS 1.2 billion per year.

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.714841

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Pornography

USA – Porn and the threat to virility

Porn has always faced criticism but for the first time it is coming from porn customers. Users explain the effect of porn addiction on them. Apart from the apparent sexual dysfunction it causes, it also degrades women and normalises sexual aggression. Compelling new research on visual stimuli offers support to the young men’s theories, suggesting the combination of computer access, sexual pleasures and the brain’s mechanisms for learning could make online porn acutely habit forming, with potential psychological effects. Pornhub video-sharing site, says it gets 2.4 million visitors per hour and that in 2015 alone, people around the globe watched 4 392 486 580 hours of its content.

Time magazine , April 18, 2016

UK – Sex offenders win right to read porn in jail

Some of Britain’s most dangerous sex offenders in Glenochiljail in Scotland are to be allowed access to porn for the first time in a deal with prison governors. Sandy Brindley, National Co-ordinator of Rape Crisis Scotland, expressed her concern as many of the messages in pornography reinforce the idea that women are permanently sexually available and say, ‘No’ when they mean ‘Yes’. She suggested that sex offenders need access to programmes which reinforce the importance of consent. The reason given for this move is that these magazines are available to the public and to deny them to prisoners could turn into a human rights issue.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dangerous-sex-offenders-win-right-7774502

USA – YouTube Continues Failing to Enforce its Community Guidelines

YouTube, for the second consecutive year, has been included on the National Centre on Sexual Exploitation’s annual Dirty Dozen List for the original reason: failing to eliminate sexually explicit and pornographic content, both soft-core and hard-core, in posted videos. While YouTube’s Community Guidelines clearly delineate that it prohibits nudity, pornography, and other sexually explicit content, they make little effort to monitor and remove videos that violate its guidelines. Worse still, YouTube facilitates viewing of such material among those not even searching for it because inappropriate content can appear as “recommended” viewing or “up next” videos on the right side of a user’s screen. For children in particular, this presents a great risk.

http://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/youtube-makes-reappearance-dirty-dozen-list/

USA – Utah declares porn a ‘public health crisis

The state of Utah has become the first state in the nation to declare that pornography is creating a “public health crisis.”Governor Gary Herbert signed a non-binding resolution, SCR 9, which recognizes porn can impact brain development, increase risky sexual behaviour, and lead to sexual addiction. According to Gov Herbert they are sounding a voice of warning, because there are real health risks that are involved with viewing pornography.”Numerous studies have now connected pornography use to lower mental health outcomes, lower relationship well-being, and detrimental expectations and beliefs about sex and sexual intimacy, according to Dr. Brian Willoughby, a professor of family life at Brigham Young University.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/utah-gov-signs-first-ever-law-declaring-porn-a-public-health-crisis

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Same Sex Attraction

USA – Disparities in Health Conditions among Lesbian/Bisexual Women

USA Department of Psychology at the University of Washington, Montana and California conducted a systematic review to assess evidence for disparities for lesbian and bisexual women, in comparison with heterosexual women across a range of nine physical health conditions. Almost every comparison (i.e., heterosexual vs. lesbian, bisexual,) indicated disparities. Evidence of disparities that were statistically significant were; adjusted ratios for asthma (5 of 7 comparisons), obesity (8 of 12), arthritis (2 of 3), global ratings of physical health (4 of 7), and cardiovascular disease (1 of 1). Evidence was lacking for cancer (1 of 4), diabetes and hypertension (both 1 of 5), and high cholesterol (0 of 3).

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00918369.2016.1174021

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Sexual Exploitation

Israel – Justice Minister Mulls Criminalizing the Hiring of Prostitutes

Ayelet Shaked has formed a committee to examine other European countries’ approach. The committee will also study international models of criminalization of prostitution consumers, including the new French law. The new bill would make every woman working in prostitution or has left prostitution eligible to receive assistance from welfare services, including assured income and pocket money in the rehabilitation stage, assistance with employment, rent, household supplies, supplemental education, medical or psychosocial aid, legal aid, and assistance in strengthening her relationship with her children. The Mitos (The Day After Prostitution) NGO estimates the number to be about 300,000, with payments from consumers totaling NIS 1.2 billion per year.

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.714841

South Africa – HIV pre-exposure pill a lifeline for sex workers

The Health department is expected to announce that it will provide antiretrovirals to thousands of HIV-negative sex workers in a bid to keep them HIV free. This is expected to make South Africa one of the first countries worldwide to bring the latest HIV prevention science to those who need it most. The department and the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) say that at least 3 000 HIV-negative sex workers will be eligible to begin taking combination antiretroviral (ARV) Truvada in order to prevent contracting HIV. Truvada combines the ARVs emtricitabine and tenofovir. When taken daily this treatment has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection by about 90 percent.

http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/hiv-pre-exposure-pill-a-lifeline-for-sex-workers-1996355

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Substance Abuse

UK – New study examines the effect of ecstasy on the brain

Dr Carl Roberts and Dr Andrew Jones, from the University’s Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, and Dr Cathy Montgomery from Liverpool John Moore’s University conducted an analysis of seven independent studies that used molecular imaging to examine the neuropsychological effect of ecstasy on people that use the drug regularly.They found that ecstasy users showed significant reductions in the way serotonin is transported in the brain. This can have a particular impact on regulating appropriate emotional reactions to situations.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160418095916.htm

USA – Simultaneous cocaine, alcohol use linked to suicide risk

A new study of hundreds of emergency department visits finds that the links between substance misuse and suicide risk are complex, but that use of cocaine and alcohol together was particularly significant.Led by Sarah Arias, assistant professor (research) of psychiatry and human behaviour in the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, the team examined 874 men and women who presented at one of eight emergency departments around the country between 2010 and 2012. The patients were participants in the Emergency Department Safety Assessment and Follow-up Evaluation study, led by the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160408101936.htm

Sweden – Heavy marijuana use risk for male deaths by 60

Swedish researchers analysed the records of more than 45,000 men beginning in 1969 and 1970. The scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm reported that 4,000 died during the 42-year follow-up period, and men who’d used marijuana heavily at ages 18 and 19 were 40{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} more likely to die by age 60 compared to men who hadn’t used the drug. The study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. “This study was longer and participants might have reached an age where thelong-term effects of cannabis were taking a toll on health,” said addiction expert Scott Krakower, an assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital, in New Hyde Park, NY.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/heavy-teen-marijuana-use-may-cut-life-short-by-60/

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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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LIFEalerts 29 April 2016

Abortion	Poland – Prime Minister backs call for full abortion ban USA – Missouri resolution to define a preborn baby as a person USA – New York Abortions Drop 21{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} in Last Seven Years USA – Alabama House Define Unborn Baby as a Person
Alternative Medicine	India – Doctors warn diabetics against herbal drugs USA – Diabetes Patient Uses Herbal Remedies to Treat Disease UK – NHS to ditch acupuncture for patients with back pain
Euthanasia	No news today
IVF& Surrogacy	Sweden – Study links depression and anxiety to IVF outcomes
Medical Ethics	USA – Unilateral ‘do not resuscitate’ orders: what neonatologists think USA – Crispr will lead to designer babies, says geneticist Italy – Ban on embryo research survives challenge
Pedophilia	No news today
Pornography	USA – Free Virtual Reality Porn Is Here If You Want It or Not South Africa – Child pornographer caught through traced IP address USA – Former porn star is exposing porn’s secrets USA – Charlie Sheen’s ex Bree Olson warns girls ‘don’t do porn’
Same Sex Attraction	USA – Paediatricians’ Group: Transgender Kids Need Help, Not Hormones UK – Sexual orientation, wellbeing and mental disorder USA – Doing the right thing by transgender kids is not easy USA – WPA condemns treatment for unwanted homosexual attraction
Sexual Exploitation	UK – Safeguarding chairman backs calls for zero tolerance Yemen – 8-Year Old Child Bride Dies On Wedding Night France – Government overhauls prostitution laws, illegal to pay for services Germany – Plan to jail ‘johns’ stirs debate on forced prostitution
Substance Abuse	USA – Senate passes bill to combat heroin, painkiller abuse Australia – Medicinal cannabis legalised in Victoria Canada – Opioid Painkiller May Be New Treatment for Heroin Addicts

  Abortion   Poland – Prime Minister backs call for full abortion ban Support is growing for a law that would ban abortion in Poland. The proposed law will end up in Parliament soon after pro-life activists gather 100,000 signatures of support. The new law gives legal protection to all children from the moment of conception. This would make all abortions illegal in Poland. The bill specifically states that the doctor who causes an unborn child’s death trying to save a woman’s life will not be punished. The focus of the proposed law is not punishing women who do have abortions. Instead, it increases punishment for abortionists and people who harm pregnant women and force them to abort by ruse or threat. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/polish-prime-minister-backs-call-for-full-abortion-ban   USA – Missouri resolution to define a preborn baby as a person “As a former embryo myself, I want that protection for all embryos, present and future.” said Missouri State Representative Mike Moon in support of a resolution to protect preborn babies in the state constitution. The resolution proposed by Moon would send to Missouri voters a ballot initiative, asking them to approve a constitutional amendment formally recognizing preborn babies as human beings with the right to life. Prominent pro-life speaker and advocate Rebecca Kiessling, who was conceived in rape, testified in favour of the resolution, arguing “I deserved to be protected, and every child deserves that same protection, I’m going to do everything I can to protect others.” http://liveactionnews.org/missouri-considers-personhood-amendment-to-state-constitution/   USA – New York Abortions Drop 21{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} in Last Seven Years New York Vital Statistics for 2014 reveals that the number of abortions state-wide reached an all-time low since abortion was legalized in 1970. Monroe County is the only county with a consecutive seven year reduction with abortion falling sharply by 42{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}. One of the contributing factors in Monroe County’s sharp decline is the black community’s abortion rate. By 2014 the rate shrank to 28{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}. Jim Harden, President of CompassCare Pregnancy Services said, “Women have abortions because they feel like they have no choice. We give women back their true autonomy with ethical medical care and comprehensive community support.” http://www.lifenews.com/2016/04/05/new-york-abortions-drop-21-in-last-seven-years-to-reach-historic-low-as-more-babies-saved/   USA – Alabama House Define Unborn Baby as a Person Alabama legislators moved forward with a bill that would define a person as “any human being from the moment of fertilization” in the state constitution. Alabama State Rep. Ed Henry said, “I just believe it’s not a direct attack on abortion. But if Alabamians believe life begins at conception, then it does cause abortion to be in conflict with our values.” Dr. Jim Belyeu, a pro-life obstetrician testified in support of the bill, saying the unborn child is a “totally separate” entity from the mother. Several other states, including Missouri and Oklahoma are considering similar measures to define personhood in their state constitutions in an effort to protect unborn babies from abortions. http://www.lifenews.com/2016/04/13/alabama-house-committee-passes-bill-to-define-unborn-baby-as-a-person-and-ban-abortions/   Alternative Medicine   India – Doctors warn diabetics against herbal drugs An article published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology has created a controversy regarding alternative medicine therapy to treat diabetes, with many in the medical fraternity stating that these therapies were more hype and less science.  The article pointed out that the safety of ayurvedic preparations was a major concern. Ayurvedic medicines manufactured in the US and India contained detectable lead, mercury, or arsenic compounds, exceeding standards for acceptable daily intake of toxic metals. Dr Anil Bhoraskar, endocrinologist and scientific secretary of the Diabetes Association of India, said, “Certain herbal drugs that are not regulated by the FDA or drug controller of India are easily available. These drugs may not be fit for human consumption and need regulation”. http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-docs-warn-diabetics-against-herbal-drugs-2201856   USA – Diabetes Patient Uses Herbal Remedies to Treat Disease Some diabetes patients in the Rio Grande Valley are taking an alternative approach to modern medicine. They’re using traditional Mexican remedies to cure their chronic illness. Guadalupe Garza said she found her favourite plant at a flea market. The leaves it bears are thought to make a person feel better. Garza said the leaves are bitter. The plant the diabetic patient uses for medicinal purposes is called Neem (Azadirachta Indica). “I use two or three of these leaves in a tea, every day,” Garza said. “My blood sugar was at 300. Now it’s at 140.”  Garza’s diagnosis came six months ago. “I have more faith in these herbs than the pills,” she said. http://www.krgv.com/story/31642158/diabetes-patient-uses-herbal-remedies-to-treat-disease   UK – NHS to ditch acupuncture for patients with back pain Exercise is the best medicine for bad backs, and acupuncture should no longer be prescribed for the problem, health officials have ruled. Professor Mark Baker, clinical practice director said fresh guidelines for the treatment of lower back pain state that exercise, including stretching, should be the treatment of choice. Acupuncture has been removed from the list of therapies, due to a lack of evidence that it works. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3508819/NHS-ditch-acupuncture-patients-pain-experts-say-exercise-best-medicine.html   <Back to Top>   Euthanasia   No news today   <Back to Top>   Same Sex Attraction   USA – Paediatricians’ Group: Transgender Kids Need Help Not Hormones The American College of Paediatricians (ACP) issued a statement urging legislators to reject policies encouraging chemical or surgical gender reassignment for children. The statement reflects that parents are inflicting harm on gender-confused children by encouraging them to seek medical interventions placing them on life-long, risky hormone treatment. This leads to mutilating their healthy bodies. A Swedish study, on cross-sex hormones and sex reassignment surgery indicates a greater risk for cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Gender-confused children should be treated for gender dysphoria, a condition listed in the recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. Paediatricians wrote that 98{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of gender-confused boys and 88 {01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of gender-confused girls accept their biological sex after passing through puberty. http://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/pediatricians-group-transgender-kids-need-help-not-new-hormones.htm   UK – Sexual orientation, wellbeing and mental disorder The research aim was to determine an estimate of the association between sexual orientation identity and poor mental health and wellbeing among adults. Previous studies indicated an increased risk of mental disorder symptoms, suicide, and substance misuse in LGB adults, compared to heterosexual adults. Data were pooled from the British Cohort Study 2012, involving comprehensive psychiatric interviews. Symptoms of poor mental health like  anxiety, depression , low wellbeing (e.g. not having ‘positive mental health’) are common in the adult population but there is established evidence that adults who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual are at higher risk of experiencing these symptoms. Evidence of poorer mental health in LGB people has been found in samples from the United States, Netherlands and England. http://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-016-0   USA – Doing the right thing by transgender kids is not easy A US$5.7 million study of the long-term outcomes of medical treatment for transgender youth will be located at four academic medical centres’ with dedicated transgender youth clinics including 280 young people with gender dysphoria .Children in early puberty will receive hormone blockers to suspend puberty – preventing the development of undesired secondary sex. Jack Drescher, psychiatrist at the William Alanson White Institute in New York City, said feelings about the ethics of gender dysphoria run high. Some ethicists regard hormone treatment as unethical. Denying children the ability to transition is unethical, bioethicist Simona Giordano of the University of Manchester, UK, said. Irreversible treatments are requested at younger ages and are rising says endocrinologist Courtney Finlayson from the University of Manchester. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/doing-the-right-thing-by-transgender-kids-is-not-easy/11815#sthash.lS7aS66i.dpuf   USA – WPA condemns treatment for unwanted homosexual attraction   The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) has joined national psychotherapy bodies in Europe and North America in condemning psychotherapies claiming to reduce or eliminate homosexual attraction in clients. Prominent Canadian psychiatrist Joseph Berger says the WPA statement represents a political position unsupported by science. The WPA’s statement allows psychiatrists treating homosexuals only to reduce distress, cope with discrimination, and develop acceptance of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Therefore, therapy “to treat something that is not a disorder is wholly unethical. Dr. Nicolosi, co-founder of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, noted that treating homosexuality is neither novel nor radical. “It is traditional psychotherapy and reports on scientific research shows change is possible and claims thousands of successes.” https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/worlds-largest-psychiatrist-org-condemns-treatment-for-unwanted-gay-attract   <Back to Top>   IVF&Surrogacy   Sweden – Study links depression and anxiety to IVF outcomes A study published in the journal Fertility & Sterility, including more than 23,000 women, is the largest so far assessing the association between depression, anxiety and antidepressants and the outcome of IVF. “We found that women undergoing their first IVF treatment who either had been diagnosed with depression or anxiety or had dispensed an antidepressant had lower rates of pregnancy and live birth rates compared to women who did not suffer from these conditions”, says author Carolyn Cesta, doctoral student at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. “Importantly, we found that women with a depression or anxiety diagnosis without a prescription had an even lower chance of becoming pregnant or having a live birth.” http://www.news-medical.net/news/20160308/New-study-assesses-link-between-depression-anxiety-and-antidepressants-and-outcome-of-IVF.aspx   <Back to Top>   Medical Ethics   USA – Unilateral ‘do not resuscitate’ orders: what neonatologists think In an article in the Journal of Medical Ethics researchers discuss a survey of neonatologists’ opinions regarding Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) orders. 77{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} respondents said it was ethically permissible to issue a unilateral DNAR for infants for whom survival was felt impossible. 61{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} said it was ethically permissible when survival was felt ‘unlikely’. However, only 51{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} said they would enter the order if they found themselves in such a situation. “The discrepancy…should also be considered in light of the professional climate in American medicine. It has been reported that physicians in the USA commonly initiate and continue treatment until it is virtually certain that the patient will die, taking a ‘waiting for near certainty’ approach to end of life.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/unilateral-do-not-resuscitate-orders-what-doctors-think/11807   USA – Crispr will lead to designer babies, says geneticist In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, geneticist Jennifer Doudna, of the University of California Berkeley, believes that designer babies are only a decade away. But for the moment, she believes that there should be a moratorium on editing the human genome, especially for traits like eye color and IQ. “It should not proceed until we have a chance to understand better how the technology operates in those kinds of cells, as well as to provide time for societal consideration,” she says. But she does believe that CRISPR should be used to cure genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy. When the wrinkles are ironed out, CRISPR will become as common as IVF is nowadays. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/crispr-will-lead-to-designer-babies-says-geneticist/11800   Italy – Ban on embryo research survives challenge Italy’s Constitutional Court has reaffirmed a ban on human embryo research by declaring a 2004 law on assisted reproduction constitutional. The legislation was challenged by a couple who had created several embryos in an IVF clinic and requested the defective ones be used for genetic research. Geneticist Bruno Dallapiccola, of the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, was scathing in his comments. “The embryo is not simply a mass of cells, but something more which deserves to be respected. The Constitutional Court’s ruling, by maintaining the ban on using frozen embryos for research, confirms this principle.” He also expressed skepticism about the usefulness of human embryonic stem cells, in the wake of recent developments in stem cell research. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/ban-on-embryo-research-survives-challenge-in-italy/11824   <Back to Top>   Pedophilia   No news today   <Back to Top>   Pornography   USA – Free Virtual Reality Porn Is Here If You Want It or Not If you’ve ever found the characters in the porn you watch too two-dimensional then you may be interested in the newest offering from Pornhub. The platform just announced its decision to launch a free virtual reality porn channel. Pornhub is giving away 10,000 prototypes of Google Cardboard, which, true to its name, is a VR headset made of cardboard that uses a smartphone for its display. While the BaDoink site has been offering virtual reality content to paying customers for over a year, the new Pornhub videos will be available at no cost. They say it is their duty to provide their global audience with the latest in cutting edge technology. 3D porn was similarly heralded as the “future of porn”. http://www.refinery29.com/2016/03/106730/pornhub-virtual-reality porn?utm_source=nypost&utm_medium=syndication   South Africa – Child pornographer caught through traced IP address A Port Shepstone man has pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault and the possession and creation of child pornography. The man was linked to an international pedophile ring and was arrested by the police after a tip-off by Interpol. They found he used an app called Giga Tribe to distribute child porn. Through the app they were able to get the IP addresses of users from 32 countries downloading the material. One of those IP addresses led to South Africa. Police found 1,000 copies of pornographic material in the South African man’s Uvongo home, containing images of children and teenagers involved in sexual activity. http://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/159111-child-pornographer-in-south-africa-nailed-through-traced-ip-address.html   USA – Former porn star is exposing porn’s secrets Shelley Lubben, a porn former star calls pornography the “sexual exploitation industries”, rife with sexually transmitted diseases where actors don’t make the money they have been promised. There are no condoms allowed, HIV-tests are altered and 66{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} to 99{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of porn stars have herpes. Pornography fuels sex trafficking and every porn star has been trafficked at least once. Now with the Internet girls are told that if they don’t do certain scenes, their porn photos will be send to family and friends and if the porn star threatens to sue them they physically hurt them. https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/former-porn-star-porn-was-the-worst-darkest-thing-ive-ever-been-involved-in   USA – Charlie Sheen’s ex Bree Olson warns girls ‘don’t do porn’ Former porn star Bree Olson issued a tearful plea to young women keen to pursue a career in the adult film industry – saying “don’t do it”. Having got into the porn industry aged just 19, Bree once commanded a salary of between $30,000 and $60,000 a month. She quit aged 25 but says her six-year career has badly affected her chances of leading the normal life she so desperately craves. She cannot get rid of the guilt and shame that goes with this career. “We must support and encourage women to begin to speak up and speak out about the destructive impact these issues have on themselves, their families, and their communities. We have to work hard on education.” http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/charlie-sheens-ex-bree-olson-7629445   <Back to Top>   Sexual Exploitation   UK – Safeguarding chairman backs calls for zero tolerance Bob Dyson, the Safeguarding Children Board’s independent chairman, has spoken out to mark National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day today, which aims to highlight issues around child sexual exploitation, encourage everyone to think, spot, and speak out against abuse, and adopt a zero tolerance approach to adults who develop inappropriate relationships with children. “The Safeguarding Children Board is committed to tackling child sexual exploitation. There are a number of children in Barnsley subject to child sexual exploitation, including Rochdale, Oxfordshire and Rotherham. This is most likely to take the form of an inappropriate relationship where an adult forms a sexual relationship with a child much younger than themselves.” http://www.barnsley-chronicle.co.uk/news/article/12128/safeguarding-chair-backs-calls-for-zero-tolerance   Yemen – 8-Year Old Child Bride Dies On Wedding Night  An eight year-old child bride died in Yemen on her wedding night after suffering internal injuries due to sexual trauma. Human rights organizations are calling for the arrest of her husband, who was five times her age. The death occurred in the northwestern Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia.  This brings even more attention to the already existing issue of forced child marriages in the Middle East. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), between 2011 and 2020, more than 140 million girls will become child brides. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/1540b0   France – Government overhauls prostitution laws, illegal to pay for services The French parliament has finally approved changes to the country’s prostitution laws. Legislators approved a bill against prostitution and sex trafficking that bans buying sex, not selling it. Customers breaking the law face fines and can be made to attend awareness classes on the harms of the sex trade. The legislation, which passed 64-12 in the parliament’s lower house, the National Assembly, makes the law one of the toughest against sex buyers in Europe. The new measure does away with a 2003 law that banned passive soliciting by sex workers on the street and thus put the legal onus on prostitutes. This new bill focuses the punishment on the client. http://www.smh.com.au/world/france-overhauls-prostitution-laws-makes-it-illegal-to-pay-for-services   Germany – Plan to jail ‘johns’ stirs debate on forced prostitution The latest German legislation would see pimps jailed for up to 10 years to combating human trafficking.  The cabinet agreed to push a law that would see “johns” who go to forced prostitutes face between three months and up to five years of jail. Justice Minister Heiko Maas said the law was meant to have a “preventative effect” to deter clients of prostitutes, who are victims of human trafficking. “As a state, we made a decision that we do not accept and also do not tolerate such a thing – a German middle way? Director of the group Anti-Slavery International said this law would see Germany sitting between Nordic and Dutch models with clients bearing a greater weight of legal responsibility. http://www.dw.com/en/german-plan-to-jail-johns-stirs-debate-on-forced-prostitution/a-19170214   <Back to Top>   Substance Abuse   USA – Senate passes bill to combat heroin, painkiller abuse The bill, which was passed on a 94 to 1 vote, would establish grant programs to help state and local governments improve education and treatment for drug abuse, encourage medical providers to reduce unnecessary prescriptions, commit resources to help veterans deal with addiction, and give local law enforcement and mental health officials tools to lower the death rate from overdoses. A key provision would provide states with incentives to make naloxone, which can counteract overdoses, more widely available by offering liability protections to officials who distribute it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/03/10/senate-set-to-pass-bill-to-combat-opioid-abuse/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_fed   Australia – Medicinal cannabis legalised in Victoria Victoria has become the first state in Australia to legalise the use of medicinal cannabis. Children with severe epilepsy will be the first to access the drug in 2017, Victoria’s Health Minister Jill Hennessy said, after the Access to Medicinal Cannabis Bill passed Parliament. The legislation enables the manufacture, supply and access to medicinal cannabis products in the state. Ms Hennessy has said access to the drug, available in a variety of forms including; tinctures, oils, capsules, sprays and vaporisable liquids would be rolled out gradually and eventually be made available for palliative care and those with HIV. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-12/victoria-becomes-first-state-to-legalise-medicinal-cannabis/7321152   Canada – Opioid Painkiller May Be New Treatment for Heroin Addicts Hydromorphone, an opioid painkiller, may be another treatment option for heroin addiction a new Canadian study suggests. The research included more than 200 heroin addicts in Vancouver. They hadn’t responded to commonly used treatments such as methadone or suboxone. This was the first study to assess the effectiveness of hydromorphone in treating heroin addiction. The participants were randomly selected to receive injections of either hydromorphone or diacetylmorphine (pharmaceutical-grade prescription heroin). After six months, patients in both groups reported fewer days of street heroin and other opioid use (three to five days a month). More than 47,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdose in 2014, a 14{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} jump from the previous year. The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2016-04-06/opioid-painkiller-may-be-new-treatment-for-heroin-addicts   <Back to Top>   Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International]]>

LIFEalerts 13 April 2016

Abortion	USA – Kentucky State Senate passes ultrasound bill, on to the House USA – Mississippi House Passes Bill to Ban Dismemberment Abortions USA – Oklahoma House passes “Humanity of the Unborn Child Act” USA – Committee investigates fetal pain and babies born alive after abortion
Alternative Medicine	USA – Senate bill would ban sale of Kratom herb to minors Israel – Herbal medicines may pose health risks for cancer patients
Euthanasia	Canada – Canada takes another step on the slippery slope Switzerland – EXIT deaths jump in assisted suicide numbers Belgium – Euthanasia now past the slippery slope and on base jumping
IVF& Surrogacy	No news today
Medical Ethics	USA – Is there a difference between genetic engineering and eugenics? USA – Sanitizing the language of clinical trials USA – Panel on infant lives meets in Washington UK – Health service may harvest organs from babies with lethal defects
Pedophilia	USA – Injured U.S. vets now hunting child predators
Pornography	USA – Parent investigator easily navigates to porn using school ‘filter’
Same Sex Attraction	Australia – Safe Schools LGBTI program’s funding should be ‘terminated’ USA – Court Removes ‘Husband,’ ‘Wife’ for of ‘Gender Neutral’ Terms USA – Psychiatrist: Transgender Sex Change ‘Biologically Impossible
Sexual Exploitation	UK – Study reveals extent of impact on health from human trafficking UK – Term ‘child prostitution’ removed from Government publications Israel -12,000 women work in prostitution in Israel Sweden – Legalize incest and necrophilia says Liberals youth wing
Substance Abuse	USA – Colorado visitors using marijuana end up in emergency room

  Abortion   USA – Kentucky State Senate passes ultrasound bill, on to the House There are 24 states with ultrasound laws. If the Kentucky House follows the lead of the Kentucky Senate, it will become number 25. The full Senate overwhelmingly passed SB 152 on a vote of 32-4. Abortion bills have been routinely blocked in recent past sessions in the Kentucky House where Democrats are in the majority. But that majority is a narrower this year, 50 Democrats to 46 Republicans with four vacant seats to be filled in special elections. http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2016/03/kentucky-state-senate-overwhelmingly-passes-ultrasound-bill-on-to-the-house/#.VtbUXpx96Ul   USA – Mississippi House Passes Bill to Ban Dismemberment Abortions House Bill 519 was passed on a vote of 83-33. Dismemberment abortion, performed on a fully-formed, living unborn baby, is a barbaric and dangerous procedure in which the unborn child is literally ripped apart in the womb and pulled out in pieces. “Dismemberment abortion is unimaginably cruel and has no place in Mississippi,” said Barbara Whitehead Mississippi Right to Life President. http://www.lifenews.com/2016/02/26/mississippi-house-passes-bill-to-ban-dismemberment-abortions-tearing-babies-limb-from-limb/   USA – Oklahoma House passes “Humanity of the Unborn Child Act” “The Humanity of the Unborn Child Act (HB 2797) establishes a public education program for high school students to foster increased awareness of the growth and development of a baby during the nine months before birth,” explained Tony Lauinger, state chairman of Oklahomans for Life. “When young people have a good understanding – in advance – of the development and humanity of the unborn child, they are much less likely to view abortion as an acceptable ‘solution’ to an unwanted pregnancy.” The state of Oklahoma favors childbirth over abortion. HB 2797 now advances to the Oklahoma state Senate. http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2016/03/oklahoma-house-passes-humanity-of-the-unborn-child-act/#.Vtk-rJx96Ul   USA – Senate Committee investigates fetal pain and babies born alive after abortions Dr. Colleen Malloy, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neonatology at Northwestern University testified that “with advancements in neonatology and perinatal medicine, we have been able to push back the gestational age at which a neonate can be resuscitated successfully.”  Senator Thom Tillis commented: “I believe when a baby is born, we have a new patient and a new American citizen that we should take care of.” Dr. Malloy cited from the New England Journal of Medicine that, with the current technology, the survival rate of infants born at 22 weeks gestation is 23 percent      and at 26 weeks is 81 percent – with over 75 percent having no severe impairments. http://liveactionnews.org/senate-committee-investigates-fetal-pain-babies-born-alive-abortions/   Alternative Medicine   USA – Senate bill would ban sale of Kratom herb to minors A state Senate bill originally intended to prohibit the possession, use or sale of Kratom (Mitragyna Speciosa), a herbal supplement used by some as a stimulant, has been amended to ban possession by those under 18. According to state Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, the amendment was made to Senate Bill 540 after hearing testimony from people who claimed they had been helped by the substance. Kratom has not been approved for use by the U.S. FDA and consumption of Kratom can lead to a number of adverse health effects. Dr. Edward W. Boyer, University of Massachusetts Medical School recently told the “New York Times” that Kratom is “a fascinating drug,” but that more needs to be learned about it. http://www.fosters.com/article/20160302/NEWS/160309802   Israel – Herbal medicines may pose health risks for cancer patients Herbal remedies used in Middle Eastern traditional medicine have been shown to modify the effect of chemotherapy and also increase the risk of bleeding in patients with cancer. Turmeric and black cumin has been shown to modify the action of chemotherapeutic drugs. Gingko Biloba and green teas were associated to cancer patients with a higher risk of bleeding. These safety-related concerns were generally due to herb-drug interactions which alter the pharmacodynamics of cancer therapies and also the direct toxic effects of the herbs. These results came from a survey conducted by researchers from the Institute of Technology in Haifa. http://www.vinereport.com/article/cancer-news-herbal-medicines-may-pose-health-risks-for-cancer-patients/8418.htm   <Back to Top>   Euthanasia   Canada – Canada takes another step on the slippery slope A committee of the Canadian parliament has recommended that the federal government make doctor-assisted dying immediately available to all adults with “grievous and irremediable” medical conditions — including mental illnesses — and eventually allow “mature minors” to end their lives.  Belgium’s permissive euthanasia regime appears to be the model for Canada’s new right-to-die law. The committee says that new rules should be implemented in two stages. The first would apply immediately to those over 18 experiencing “intolerable” physical or mental suffering. The second stage — “no later than three years after the first” would extend it to “competent mature minors.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/canada-takes-another-step-towards-its-euthanasia-law/11773   Switzerland – EXIT deaths jump in assisted suicide numbers Swiss assisted suicide organisation EXIT helped 782 people end their lives in 2015 – 199 more than the previous year. Of the deceased, 55{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} were women and 45{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} men. Among them, the most common reason for wanting to die was terminal cancer, followed by age-related health problems and chronic pain disorders. The average age of each person at the time of death was 77.4. EXIT has welcomed thousands of new members. Membership is at about 96,000, and members must be residents of Switzerland. Switzerland has two main groups that cater to people who seek an assisted suicide: EXIT and Dignitas. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/right-to-die_exit-reports-jump-in-assisted-suicide-numbers/41992602   Belgium – Euthanasia now past the slippery slope and on base jumping Three bills have been proposed by Laurette Onkelinx, the leader of the Belgian Socialists and a former Deputy Prime Minister. The first would remove a five-year sunset clause for advance declaration of a patient’s willingness to accept euthanasia. The second would force doctors to give a rapid turn-around to requests for euthanasia. If they refused, they would have to transfer the patient’s file to a doctor who would be willing to give a lethal injection. The third would remove the right of institutions like hospitals or nursing homes to refuse euthanasia on their premises. Ms Onkelinx insists that institutions have no right to conscientious objection; only doctors do. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/more-bracket-creep-in-belgian-euthanasia/11796   <Back to Top>   Same Sex Attraction   Australia – Safe Schools LGBTI program’s funding should be ‘terminated’ “It’s not an anti-bullying program it’s a social engineering program experiment said old Prime Minister tony Abbot, “ Its funding should be terminated.” Many say that the material presented to young children is hyper-sexual and inappropriate. Others say that it does not promote heterosexuality and urges young people to take radical measures to address their gender or sexuality concerns, such as chest-binding and penis tucking.  “This program is so narrowly focused on homosexual issues that it doesn’t provide the sort of balance one would hope,” said Tony Abbot. About 515 schools across the country take part in the program. Two eminent professors will undertake the Safe Schools review and will report back to the federal Department of Education. http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/mar/01/tony-abbott-attacks-safe-schools-program-as-social-e   USA – Court Removes ‘Husband,’ ‘Wife’ for of ‘Gender Neutral’ Terms The Ohio Supreme Court implemented a controversial to stop using gender specific terms such as “husband,” “wife,” “father” and “mother” on all rules and forms, opting instead to use gender neutral terms. “The terms were to ‘be construed as gender neutral where appropriate’ and to remain in effect until the rules and forms were ‘amended to reflect the changes contained in this Order,'” Court News Ohio reports”. Ohio Supreme Court rules and forms that address marriage and the related topics of divorce, child support, guardianships, adoption, domestic relations, and domestic violence have been amended to remove gender-specific terms.” http://www.christianpost.com/news/ohio-supreme-court-removes-husband-wife-mother-father-favor-gender-neutral-terms-159195/#OuHA53CADoWOFpR2.99   USA – Psychiatrist: Transgender Sex Change ‘Biologically Impossible Dr. Paul R. McHugh, former psychiatrist-in-chief for Johns Hopkins Hospital, currently Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry, said that transgenderism is a “mental disorder” that sex change is “biologically impossible,”  People who undergo sex-reassignment surgery do not change from men to women or vice versa. They become feminized men or masculinised women. Claiming this is civil-rights matter and encouraging surgical intervention is in reality, to collaborate and promote a mental disorder. He reported on a new study showing that the suicide rate among transgendered people who had reassignment surgery is 20 times higher than among non-transgender people. Also, for those who had sexual reassignment surgery, most said they were “satisfied” with the operation “but their subsequent psycho-social adjustments were no better than those who didn’t have the surgery.” http://cnsnews.com/news/article/michael-w-chapman/johns-hopkins-psychiatrist-transgender-mental-disorder-sex-change   <Back to Top>   IVF&Surrogacy   No news today   <Back to Top>   Medical Ethics   USA – Is there a difference between genetic engineering and eugenics? An oft-raised concern is that genetic engineering may one day morph into a eugenics movement. Many are trying to differentiate the two, arguing that genetic engineering is merely an exciting scientific development that will help humanity rather than enable an insidious ideology. Leading IVF specialist Lord Robert Winston commented “With the power of the market and the open information published in journals, I am sure that humans will want to try to ‘enhance’ their children and will pay large sums to do so. “Anybody undertaking these human experiments is likely to be highly vulnerable when things go wrong – though not as vulnerable of course as the unborn child. This may be an effective deterrent for the time being.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/is-there-a-difference-between-genetic-engineering-and-eugenics/11777   USA – Sanitizing the language of clinical trials Which would you rather participate in: a medical study or a medical experiment? Almost everyone prefers a “study”. Drug companies need volunteers to test products, so the image of medical research is crucial. Bioethicist Carl Elliott asks hard questions in the The Hastings Centre Report, about the ever-more sanitized language of clinical trials. He points out, “probably the most striking example is the argument now made by a number of prominent bioethicists that every citizen has a moral duty to enroll in research studies…there is an obligation that includes even research sponsored and designed by the pharmaceutical industry. “Whether a study is publicly or privately financed has little bearing on the obligation to participate in that study.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/sanitizing-the-language-of-clinical-trials/11785   USA – Panel on infant lives meets in Washington The US Senate Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives has met for the first time with several experts testifying against the procurement of fetal tissue for research. Radiologist Kathleen M. Schmainda of the Medical College of Wisconsin commented that if fetal tissue were needed to cure a disease like Parkinson’s which afflicts a million Americans; three or four aborted babies might be needed for each patient. “So, 4 million babies would need to be aborted to treat this one disease… Do we really want a world where the most vulnerable… are subject to the whims, desires and perceived needs of others? Clearly we will have created industrialized harvesting of preborn babies, a crime against the human race.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/panel-on-infant-lives-meets-in-washington/11793   UK – Health service may harvest organs from babies with lethal defects The UK’s National Health Service is to encourage pregnant women whose children have a fatal birth defect to bring them to term so their organs can be harvested. The proposal was apparently mooted at the annual conference of the British Transplantation Society. Transplant surgeon Niaz Ahmad, of St James’s University Hospital in Leeds, said: “We are looking at rolling it out as a viable source of organ transplantation nationally. Bioethicist Dr Trevor Stammers told the Mail that the suggestion was “abhorrent”. “It is a ghoulish suggestion that can only undermine public confidence in transplantation – one of the greatest medical advances of my lifetime. The concept reduces the baby to nothing more than a utilitarian means to an end. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/uk-health-service-may-harvest-organs-from-babies-with-lethal-defects/11797   <Back to Top>   Pedophilia   USA – Injured U.S. vets now hunting child predators The HERO (Human Exploitation Rescue Operative) program is designed for wounded, injured and ill veterans to receive training in sophisticated computer forensics, to join federal agents fighting against online child sexual exploitation. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says its Victim Identification Program, which aids law enforcement in efforts to locate and rescue child victims, has reviewed more than 158 million images and videos, since 1998. In 2008, the Task Force network identified over 300,000 unique computers engaged in trafficking child pornography. A study by the University of New Hampshire found that 55 percent of those who possess or trade child pornography are hands-on offenders. http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/29/us/freedom-project-hero-corps/index.html   <Back to Top>   Pornography   USA – Parent investigator easily navigates to porn using school’s ‘filter’ After an Ontario Catholic school board ignored parental concerns over children being able to access graphic pornography using school Wi-Fi networks, saying that the filters were sufficient, one parent decided to investigate the matter. He logged into the Wi-Fi network and performed searches using problematic key terms. The ease of accessing graphic content left the parent stunned and disgusted. The parents’ first two Bing searches easily turned up page after page of hardcore porn images – gay sex, and bestiality. Their six-year-old son came home from his grade one classroom claiming to have viewed lesbian porn on school-owned tablets. Granic Allen a parent demanded that the government should enact a new education policy that requires publicly funded schools to have clean internet. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/parent-investigator-easily-navigates-to-porn-using-catholic-schools-filter   <Back to Top>   Sexual Exploitation   UK – Study reveals extent of impact on health from human trafficking A study on the health of trafficking survivors, published in The Lancet Global Health, was carried out by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the UK and the International Organization for Migration. “Our findings highlight that survivors of trafficking urgently need access to health care to address a range of needs, and that mental health care should be an essential component of this,” says lead author Dr. Ligia Kiss. “Research is needed to identify effective forms of psychological support that can be easily implemented in low-resource settings and in multilingual, multicultural populations.” According to the researchers, recent estimates suggest that over 18 million people worldwide are forced into human trafficking. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/290109.php   UK – Term ‘child prostitution’ removed from Government publications The term is being removed from official statistics over concerns it is an outdated phrase that encourages “victim-blaming”.  It has already been removed from legislation after a series of grooming scandals highlighted the extent of child sexual exploitation. Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham said the term was wrong as it infers criminality on the part on the child, and does not acknowledge that children cannot consent to sex themselves, but are instead exploited. Releases from January this year and October last year have been amended and the old term would be removed from all future publications.”Victim-blaming has been a barrier to justice for many; this change is another step in the right direction.” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-3480216/Term-child-prostitution-removed-Government-publications.html#ixzz42UB0bf7I Israel – 12,000 women work in prostitution in Israel A national survey reveals that some 12,000 women in Israel work in the sex trade, along with about 1,000 men. The Welfare Ministry study finds 62{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} are mothers, 11{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} are minors and  52{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} born in the in the country. The survey, conducted for the Welfare Ministry counted between 11,420 and 12,730 sex workers nationwide, with an estimated 95{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of the women and some 5{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} men. According to findings about 11{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of the women are minors.  About 9{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of women in prostitution started before their 18th birthday. Among the women, 62{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} are mothers and 20{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} have an academic degree.  Prostitution is illegal in Israel, yet remains an industry valued at some 1.2 billion annually. http://www.timesofisrael.com/12000-women-work-in-prostitution-in-israel-govt-says/   Sweden – Legalize incest and necrophilia says Liberals youth wing The youth wing voted to call for the decriminalization of sexual relations between siblings as well as sexual relations with a corpse, said Liberal Youth leader Cecilia Johnsson.  The motion filed states that sex between two consenting siblings 15 years of age and older should be allowed and that sex with a dead body should also be allowed as long as the deceased gave written permission prior to passing. “You should get to decide what happens to your body after you die, and if it happens to be that someone wants to bequeath their body to a museum or for research, or  to bequeath it to someone for sex. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/swedish-liberal-party-youth-wing-passes-motion-to-legalize-incest-and-   <Back to Top>   Substance Abuse   USA – Colorado visitors using marijuana end up in emergency room Out-of-towners using marijuana in Colorado, which legally allowed sales of the drug in retail dispensaries since 2014, are ending up in the emergency room, reports a new study from North-western Medicine and the University of Colorado School of Medicine in the New England Journal of Medicine. Out-of-state visitors to the emergency room for marijuana-related symptoms accounted for 78 per 10,000 emergency room visits in 2012 compared to 163 per 10,000 visits in 2014, an increase of 109{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}. Among Colorado residents, the number of marijuana-related visits was 70 per 10,000 in 2012 compared to 101 per 10,000 in 2014, a 44{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} increase. The research took place in the emergency department of UC Health’s University of Colorado Hospital. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160224223104.htm 10.1056/NEJMc1515009   <Back to Top>   Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International]]>

National Institute of Drug Abuse

Legalized Cannabis and the Brain-A Clinical Review.

 Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) are sounding the alarm over a possible increase in unknown cognitive and behavioural harms that widespread cannabis use may unmask. A clinical review conducted by NIDA points out that as legalization of the drug for recreational and medical use spreads, vulnerable populations, especially adolescents, are exposed to toxic effects of the drug. “This is not a problem that is specific to marijuana,” Dr Volkow states. “Young brains and drugs shouldn’t mix. Period.”

Powerful Disruptors

 Dr Volkow explained that young brains are engaged in a protracted period of “brain programming,” in which everything an adolescent does or is exposed to can affect the final architecture and network connectivity of the brain. “Drugs are powerful disruptors of brain programming because they can directly interfere with the process of neural pruning and interregional brain connectivity,” she added. In the short term, this kind of interference can negatively affect academic performance. However, long-term use can impair behavioural adaptability, mental health, and life trajectories. Currently, four states ― Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska ― as well as the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for recreational use among adults. Twenty-three other states, plus the District of Columbia, also regulate cannabis use for medical purposes. As a result of this rising tide of legalized marijuana, Dr Volkow and colleagues believed a more focused and in-depth study of its use and consequences was urgently needed.

Neuro-psychological Decline

 “Emerging evidence suggests that adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of cannabis use,” the investigators write. Several studies, for example, have shown that individuals who use cannabis at an earlier age have greater neuropsychological impairment and that persistent use of cannabis from adolescence was associated with neuropsychological decline from the age of 13 to 38 years. This was not found to be the case when cannabis was first used in adulthood. There is also “fairly clear evidence” of structural alterations in a number of areas in the brain associated with exposure to cannabis, although some evidence suggests that associated drinking may explain some of the structural alterations attributed solely to cannabis use. In other words, alcohol or cannabis on their own are not good for the body, but put them together and you have a more potent toxic combination. MRI studies have also pointed to changes in neural activity among cannabis users, including inefficient processing during a working memory task. “There is both preclinical and clinical evidence supporting the view that cannabis use is associated with an ‘amotivational’ state,” said Dr Volkow. The term “cannabis amotivational syndrome” is distinguished by apathy(laziness) and difficulty with concentration. She also notes that long-term, heavy cannabis use has been associated with underachievement in terms of educational pursuits. On the other hand, it is also likely that diminished motivation could impair learning as well, inasmuch as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in cannabis, has been shown to disrupt reward-based learning. “Amotivation in chronic heavy users may also reflect the fact that cannabis itself has become a major motivator,” Dr Volkow writes, “so other activities (e.g., schoolwork) become demoted in the individual’s reward hierarchy.” What now needs to be established is whether higher concentrations of THC might make the risk of developing amotivation or even addiction more likely, investigators add.

Cannabis and Psychosis

 There is also a lingering controversy over whether cannabis can trigger psychiatric disorders, notably, psychotic disorders and schizophrenia. “It is recognized that cannabis with a high THC can trigger an acute psychotic episode,” Dr Volkow writes. However, she cautions that the extent to which cannabis can result in schizophrenia is still being debated, although the consensus is that cannabis use in those at risk for schizophrenia can trigger the disease and exacerbate its course. Particularly at high doses, THC has been known to trigger schizophrenia-like positive and negative symptoms. Studies have also consistently shown an association between the use of cannabis and schizophrenia in cases in which cannabis use precedes psychosis.  “The association between cannabis use and chronic psychosis (including a schizophrenia diagnosis) is stronger in those individuals who have had heavy or frequent cannabis use during adolescence, earlier use, or use of cannabis with high THC potency,” Dr Volkow and colleagues observe.

“From these studies, ever use of cannabis is estimated to increase the risk of schizophrenia by approximately 2-fold, accounting for 8{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} to 14{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of cases, with frequent use or use of cannabis with high THC potency increasing the risk of schizophrenia 6-fold.”

Dr Volkow cautions that legitimate controversy remains as to how much cannabis use contributes to psychosis and the degree to which cannabis can precipitate psychosis in patients who have no genetic predisposition for the illness.

Key Questions

 A number of key questions need to be adequately researched before a clearer picture emerges about the potential harms of cannabis use. The first is, how much cannabis use is too much? Dr Volkow noted that it is not clear whether the effects of cannabis among heavy users apply equally to those who use cannabis much more casually. The second is, at what age is cannabis use most harmful? It is fairly clear that cannabis does have negative effects among adolescent users, the researchers note, but it may also have negative effects in older adults who undergo changes in brain plasticity and age-related cognitive decline, both of which could make them more susceptible to toxic effects of the drug. “Physicians are in a key position to help prevent cannabis use disorder,” said Dr Volkow. “This will require that they screen adolescents and young adults for cannabis consumption and that they intervene to prevent further use,” she added. In cases in which the adolescent or young person already suffers from the disorder, physicians need to tailor their intervention on the basis of the severity of the disorder and the presence of comorbidities, such as anxiety or depression. “Science has shown us that marijuana is not a benign drug. The morbidity and mortality from legal drugs is much greater than that for illegal drugs, not because the drugs are more dangerous but because their legal status makes them more accessible and a larger percentage of the population is exposed to them on a regular basis,” she said. “The current ‘normalization’ movement presses on with complete disregard for the evidence of marijuana’s negative health consequences, and this bias is likely to erode our prevention efforts by decreasing the perception of harm and increasing use among young people, which is the population most vulnerable to the harmful effects of regular marijuana use.”

Contributor to Mental Illness

 Commenting, Oliver Howes, MD, PhD, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, United Kingdom, said he endorses the NIDA’s position on cannabis use. “I agree that there are potential issues around the use of cannabis, especially if you start it early, in adolescence,” Dr Howes said. “Early use seems to be what increases your risk of psychosis in particular, but it also seems to be associated with more marked effects generally, and we’ve certainly seen the effects of long- term, early cannabis use on the brain’s dopamine systems that are linked to effects on motivation, or rather the lack of motivation, that you commonly see in heavy cannabis users,” he added. Dr Howes also shared DFL and NIDA’s viewpoint that there is much that is not known about the long-term effects of cannabis use, especially heavy cannabis use. He also noted that “as a physician, I quite commonly see young adults who started using cannabis at the age of 12, 13, and 14 and who have come to see me in early adulthood with mental health problems.

“And yes, I do think early cannabis use contributes to the mental health problems that we see later on.”

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/860535?nlid=102424_2982&src=wnl_dne_160318_mscpedit&uac=117551AJ&impID=1026869&faf=1 http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2488041&resultClick=3

American College of Pediatricians 

Gender Ideology Harms Children.

 The American College of Paediatricians urges educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex. Facts – not ideology – determine reality. 1.Human sexuality is an objective biological binary trait: “XY” and “XX” are genetic markers of health – not genetic markers of a disorder. The norm for human design is to be conceived either male or female. Human sexuality is binary by design with the obvious purpose being the reproduction and flourishing of our species. This principle is self-evident. The exceedingly rare disorders of sex development (DSDs), including but not limited to testicular feminization and congenital adrenal hyperplasia, are all medically identifiable deviations from the sexual binary norm, and are rightly recognized as disorders of human design. Individuals with DSDs do not constitute a third sex. (1) 2. No one is born with a gender. Everyone is born with a biological sex. Gender (an awareness and sense of oneself as male or female) is a sociological and psychological concept; not an objective biological one. No one is born with an awareness of themselves as male or female; this awareness develops over time and, like all developmental processes, may be derailed by a child’s subjective perceptions, relationships, and adverse experiences from infancy forward. People who identify as “feeling like the opposite sex” or “somewhere in between” do not comprise a third sex. They remain biological men or biological women. (2,3,4) 3.A person’s belief that he or she is something they are not is, at best, a sign of confused thinking. When an otherwise healthy biological boy believes he is a girl, or an otherwise healthy biological girl believes she is a boy, an objective psychological problem exists that lies in the mind not the body, and it should be treated as such. These children suffer from gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria (GD), formerly listed as Gender Identity Disorder (GID), is a recognized mental disorder in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-V).5 The psycho-dynamic and social learning theories of GD/GID have never been disproved. (2,4,5) 4.Puberty is not a disease and puberty-blocking hormones can be dangerous. Reversible or not, puberty- blocking hormones induce a state of disease – the absence of puberty – and inhibit growth and fertility in a previously biologically healthy child. (6) 5.According to the DSM-V, as many as 98{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of gender confused boys and 88{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of gender confused girls eventually accept their biological sex after naturally passing through puberty. (5) 6.Children who use puberty blockers to impersonate the opposite sex will require cross-sex hormones in late adolescence. Cross-sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen) are associated with dangerous health risks including but not limited to high blood pressure, blood clots, stroke and cancer. (7,8,9,10) 7.Rates of suicide are twenty times greater among adults who use cross-sex hormones and undergo sex reassignment surgery, even in Sweden which is among the most LGBT – affirming countries.(11) What compassionate and reasonable person would condemn young children to this fate knowing that after puberty as many as 88{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of girls and 98{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of boys will eventually accept reality and achieve a state of mental and physical health? 8.Conditioning children into believing a lifetime of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex is normal and healthful is child abuse. Endorsing gender discordance as normal via public education and legal policies will confuse children and parents, leading more children to present to “gender clinics” where they will be given puberty-blocking drugs. This, in turn, virtually ensures that they will “choose” a lifetime of carcinogenic and otherwise toxic cross-sex hormones, and likely consider unnecessary surgical mutilation of their healthy body parts as young adults. Michelle A. Cretella, M.D. President of the American College of Pediatricians Quentin Van Meter, M.D.Vice President of the American College of Pediatricians,Pediatric Endocrinologist Paul McHugh, M.D. University Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School and the former psychiatrist in chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital References:

1. Consortium on the Management of Disorders of Sex Development, “Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Disorders of Sex Development in Childhood.” Intersex Society of North America, March 25, 2006. Accessed 3/20/16 fromhttp://www.dsdguidelines.org/files/clinical.pdf.
2. Zucker, Kenneth J. and Bradley Susan J. “Gender Identity and Psychosexual Disorders. “FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry. Vol. III, No. 4, Fall 2005 (598-617).
3. Whitehead, Neil W. “Is Trans-sexuality biologically determined?” Triple Helix (UK), Autumn 2000, p6-8. accessed 3/20/16 from http://www.mygenes.co.nz/transsexuality.htm; see also Whitehead, Neil W. “Twin Studies of Transsexuals [Reveals Discordance]” accessed 3/20/16 from http://www.mygenes.co.nz/transs_stats.htm.
4. Jeffreys, Sheila. Gender Hurts: A Feminist Analysis of the Politics of Transgenderism. Routledge, New York, 2014 (pp.1-35).
5. American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Association, 2013 (451-459). See page 455 re: rates of persistence of gender dysphoria.
6. Hembree, WC, et al. Endocrine treatment of transsexual persons: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinal Metab. 2009;94:3132-3154.
7. Olson-Kennedy, J and Forcier, M. “Overview of the management of gender nonconformity in children and adolescents.” Up-to-date November 4, 2015. Accessed 3.20.16 from www.uptodate.com.
8. Moore, E., Wisniewski, & Dobs, A. “Endocrine treatment of transsexual people: A review of treatment regimens, outcomes, and adverse effects.” The Journal of Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2003; 88(9), pp3467-3473.
9. FDA Drug Safety Communication issued for Testosterone products accessed 3.20.16: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm161874.htm.
10. World Health Organization Classification of Estrogen as a Class I Carcinogen: http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/ageing/cocs_hrt_statement.pdf
11. Dhejne, C, et.al. “Long-Term Follow-Up of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery: Cohort Study in Sweden.” PLoS ONE, 2011; 6(2). Affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Accessed 3.20.16 from http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0016885.

http://www.acpeds.org/the-college-speaks/position-statements/gender-ideology-harms-children Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International.]]>

Abortion Northern Ireland – Plan for abortion expansion meets stunning defeat USA – Ohio defunds Planned Parenthood, redirects $1.3 million USA – Abortion Clinics Closing at Record Pace Alternative Medicine New Zealand – Feedback on natural health product regulations extended Euthanasia USA – Dutch psychiatric patients may get euthanasia too easily Netherlands – Dutch report applies the brakes on ‘completed life’ euthanasia USA – Oregon releases its 2015 ‘death with dignity’ stats IVF& Surrogacy UK – ‘Natural’ fertilisation device for IVF Medical Ethics USA – Three parent babies, but only males UK – Green light for UK CRISPR embryo research Brazil – Zika: still wrapped in mystery Scotland – Edinburgh to host world bioethics conference Pedophilia USA – New Requirements for Sex Offenders Traveling Abroad Pornography   Indonesia – Indonesia blocks Tumblr because it hosts pornography USA – School leaders, prosecutor discuss child pornography victim care USA – Rampant Exchange of Porn Emails among State Officials South Africa – FPB seeks two years in jail or a fine for revenge porn Same Sex Attraction USA – Advocate Compares March For Marriage To Civil Rights Movement USA – Doctor fired from Boston hospital for objecting to its LGBT policy UK – Campaigner Peter Tatchell backs bakers in gay cake appeal Sexual Exploitation Indonesia – A way to deal with prostitution in the country by 2019 USA – More slaves today than during 400 years of the African Slave Trade UN – Officials Call for Strengthened Partnerships to Combat Trafficking UK – Tourists who pay for prostitutes abroad ‘should face prosecution in UK’ Substance Abuse UK – Study sheds light on source of drug addicts risk-taking behaviour USA – Marijuana Use May Lead to Abuse of Other Substances USA – New High: Legal Marijuana Sales Hit $5.4 Billion for 2015 Australia – “Medical marijuana” legalized in Australia   Abortion   Northern Ireland – Plan for abortion expansion meets stunning defeat The National Assembly, though divided into nine parties by religion and policy, managed to coalesce into a decisive majority to defeat two amendments to the law on abortion, one which would have allowed it in the case of children with fatal abnormalities (by 59 votes to 40), and when the pregnancy resulted from rape (by 64-30). Abortion advocates “are getting more and more vociferous,” Liam Gibson, Northern Ireland spokesman for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, warned. “This issue will not go away. The judge said the current law did not represent the will of the people, but this decisive defeat of both amendments by the people’s elected representatives says otherwise.” https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/plan-for-northern-ireland-abortion-expansion-meets-stunning-defeat   USA – Ohio defunds Planned Parenthood, redirects $1.3 million Governor John Kasich signed legislation that will defund Planned Parenthood by forbidding the state from making health service contracts with any abortion-providing organization. Ohio is the 10th state in the union to take action to eliminate public subsidies to the abortion giant. The bill takes approximately $1.3 million per year that Planned Parenthood facilities in the state had been receiving, and instead directs it to federally qualified health centers, health departments, and other non-abortion health providers. There are 10 comprehensive health care clinics in Ohio for every Planned Parenthood facility. http://liveactionnews.org/ohio-defunds-planned-parenthood-redirects-roughly-1-3-million/   USA – Abortion Clinics Closing at Record Pace Abortion clinics are closing at a record pace across the country as they fail to meet new health and safety requirements and the demand for their business drops, according to a Bloomberg analysis. Many factors are involved, including the lack of business and fewer doctors willing to do abortions. Fewer women actually want abortions as more pro-life groups offer women alternatives to abortion and more women have access to the education and resources to choose life for their unborn babies. Since 2011, at least 162 abortion clinics have shut or stopped doing abortions. A report from Operation Rescue also showed 53 abortion clinics closed in 2015 alone. http://www.lifenews.com/2016/02/24/abortion-clinics-closing-at-record-pace-as-more-babies-saved-from-abortions/   Alternative Medicine   New Zealand – Feedback on natural health product regulations extended The government extended a deadline for feedback on regulations for a bill that will create a register and regulator for natural health products. The bill, supported by Natural Products NZ, an umbrella group that represents about 90{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of the $1.4 billion industry, missed the cut for a final reading in the pre-Christmas legislative logjam. The regulatory regime will help boost exports and provide assurance to consumers that products are safe. Natural Products NZ executive director Alison Quesnel says she is disappointed at what she calls scaremongering and misinformation over the proposed law change. The register already has 5500 ingredients approved for use in natural remedies and supplements and the list is expected to increase. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/health-freedom-groups-win-extension-feedback-natural-health-product-regulations-b-184583   <Back to Top>   Euthanasia   USA – Dutch psychiatric patients may get euthanasia too easily The Journal of American Medical Associations, JAMA Psychiatry, has presented an alarming picture of physician evaluation of euthanasia requests in the Netherlands. Psychiatrist Dr. Scott Y. H. Kim examined 66 psychiatric cases which confirmed loneliness as a key driver behind requests by those suffering from mental illness. Dr. Paul S. Appelbaum, a professor of psychiatry, medicine and law at Columbia University commented, “the idea that people are leaving their treating physician and going to a clinic that exists solely for this purpose, and being evaluated not by a psychiatrist but by someone else who has to make these very difficult decisions about levels of suffering and disease, it seems to me like the worst possible way of implementing this process.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/the-dangers-of-euthanasia-for-the-mentally-ill/11750   Netherlands – Dutch report applies the brakes on ‘completed life’ euthanasia Although euthanasia in the Netherlands is often regarded as an unstoppable juggernaut, a government commission has suggested that the brakes be applied. Activists have been pressing for euthanasia on the basis of “completed life”, that is, for people who have simply lost interest in living, regardless of age or state of health. However, after a lengthy study, the Schnabel Commission has declared that expanding the boundary of euthanasia is not advisable. It believes that current legislation already provides for cases of “completed life”, which are equivalent to the symptoms of old age, in any case. The Dutch right-to-die association (NVVE) was surprised by the conservatism of the government’s response. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/a-dutch-report-applies-the-brakes-on-euthanasia/11756   USA – Oregon releases its 2015 ‘death with dignity’ stats Oregon’s annual “Death with Dignity” reports for 2015 shows the figures are not as straightforward as they might seem. During 2015, 218 people received prescriptions for lethal medications, but only 132 people died. Although uncontrolled pain is often seen as sufficient justification for legalized assisted suicide, relatively few people even mentioned it. The three main reasons were “less able to engage in activities making life enjoyable” (96{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}); “losing autonomy” (92{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}); and “loss of dignity” (75{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}). One curious detail from the statistics is that since 1997, 6 patients have regained consciousness after taking a lethal dose of medication. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/oregon-releases-its-2015-death-with-dignity-stats/11761   <Back to Top>   Same Sex Attraction   USA – Advocate Compares March for Marriage to Civil Rights Movement The president of an anti-gay organization, Brian Brown, has compared the group’s recent protest against same-sex marriage to the Civil Rights movement in America. Slate reports that a diverse crowd of over 5,000 people showed up for the march  NOM’s  (National Organization for Marriage) mission is “protecting marriage and the faith communities that sustain it,” according to its website. The March for Marriage was meant to show support for California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA), laws that seek to define marriage as between a man and woman only. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/anti-gay-movement   USA – Doctor fired from Boston hospital for objecting to LGBT policy A respected member of the Harvard Medical School faculty has officially been expelled from his position at a major Boston hospital for voicing concerns about the hospital’s promotion of the LGBT lifestyle. His response noted the “evidence is irrefutable that behaviours common within the homosexual community are unhealthy and high risk for a host of serious medical consequences.” The board of directors of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre (BIDMC) informed Dr. Paul Church, from the Harvard faculty and a doctor for nearly 30 years at the hospital, that they will uphold his dismissal and that his medical privileges have been permanently rescinded. http://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/dr.-church   UK – Campaigner Peter Tatchell backs bakers in gay cake appeal Mr. Tatchell has changed his mind about Asher’s Bakery in Belfast, who was found to have broken anti-discrimination laws when they declined an order by activist Gareth Lee for a cake with the slogan ‘support gay marriage’. He said: “Much as I wish to defend the gay community, I also want to defend freedom of conscience, expression and religion. It is an infringement of freedom to require private businesses to aid the promotion of ideas to which they conscientiously object. Discrimination against people should be unlawful but not discrimination against ideas and opinions. Should a Muslim printer be obliged to publish cartoons of Mohammed or a Jewish one the words of a Holocaust denier?” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3427354/Tatchell-backs-bakers-gay-cake-appeal-Campaigner-says-changed-mind-firm-broke-anti-discrimination-laws-wants-defend-freedom-religion.html   <Back to Top>   IVF&Surrogacy   UK – ‘Natural’ fertilisation device for IVF A private UK fertility clinic is offering couples a new form of IVF treatment that lets conception occur in the womb rather than in the lab. Doctors hope that making fertilisation more natural will mean healthier pregnancies. The Complete Fertility clinic in Southampton is first in the UK to use the AneVivo device method. It is a tiny tubular capsule that is loaded with the sperm and egg before being placed into the uterus. Prof Macklon, head of the clinic said: “The aim is to maximise the time spent in the body rather than in the lab. The immediate benefit is reducing exposure at this very vulnerable time of human development when genes are being switched on and off.” http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35344195   <Back to Top>   Medical Ethics   USA – Three parent babies, but only males The US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine has recommended that US government allow mitochondrial DNA transfer in male embryos. The report argues that the procedure should be limited to male embryos because it is prudent to minimize the dangers of ‘passing on’ adverse effects of the procedure to future generations, and one way to do this is to begin with males only: “Intrauterine transfer for gestation [should be] limited to male embryos in order to prevent potential adverse and uncertain consequences of MRT from being passed on to future generations”. The sons-only recommendation has been criticized by researchers in the UK, whose parliament gave the go-ahead for mitochondrial replacement therapy last year without any such restriction. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/three-parent-babies-but-only-males/11739   UK – Green light for UK CRISPR embryo research Developmental biologist Kathy Niakan has received permission from the UK Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to edit the genome of human embryos using the new CRISPR technology. “The reason why it is so important is because miscarriages and infertility are extremely common, but they’re not very well understood”, she said. Peter Saunders, of the Christian Medical Fellowship, is doubtful about the ability of embryonic gene-editing to redress genetic abnormalities: “Genetic abnormalities which result in implantation failure (either in IVF or naturally) or miscarriages are chromosomal abnormalities, not abnormalities in single genes. But only abnormalities in single genes can be fixed with gene editing of the sort that the Crick Institute is proposing. Gene editing does not fix chromosomal abnormalities.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/green-light-for-uk-crispr-embryo-research/11738   Brazil – Zika: still wrapped in mystery The World Health Organization says the Zika virus epidemic is a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern”. In the New England Journal of Medicine, Slovenian clinicians reported they had found the virus in the aborted remains of a baby with microcephaly whose mother contracted the disease in Brazil. But a report in the WHO’s Bulletin says a spike in microcephaly cases began in 2012, before the Zika epidemic in 2014. So there are still quite a few mysteries surrounding the virus. According to bioethicist Art Caplan and Lee H. Igel of New York University the situation is serious enough to cancel the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this year. Given the risk to pregnant women holding them is “irresponsible”. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/zika-still-wrapped-in-mystery/11747   Scotland – Edinburgh to host world bioethics conference Edinburgh is the venue for the 2016 world congress of the International Association of Bioethics, whose theme is “Individuals, Public Interests and Public Goods: What is the Contribution of Bioethics?” and  will take place from June 14 to 17. According to the conference’s website, the event will be “… less of a traditional academic conference and more of a festival of knowledge that seeks to build a bridge between the questions and answers of how bioethics can contribute to some of the most pressing issues of our time – from genetic research to global pandemics, and from scarce resources to climate changes that affect us all.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/edinburgh-to-host-world-bioethics-conference/11748   <Back to Top>   Pedophilia   USA – New Requirements for Sex Offenders Traveling Abroad Sex offenders must now provide to the appropriate official any information relating to their intended travel outside of the United States. Under this new law, sex offenders convicted of sex crimes involving minors will have to have a passport with a unique identifying mark. “This is the first time in the history of our country that any American citizen will have a unique identifier on their passport, it violates so many constitutional rights of our citizens”, said lawyer Janice Bellucci from the California Reform Sex Offender Laws. “Who is the next group? Is it going to be Muslims if Donald Trump becomes president? This law is also designed to prevent the practice of “sex tourism” globally. http://www.lawyerherald.com/articles/31289/20160202/bill-make-harder-sex-offenders-travel-abroad-heads-obamas-desk.htm   <Back to Top>   Pornography   Indonesia – Indonesia blocks Tumblr because it hosts pornography Indonesia has banned Tumblr because the site hosted pornographic content. They banned them first and told them afterwards. Along with hosting adult content, Tumblr offers a quick way to make and search for photographs, supports conversations about mental health, and it even has a clothing line. Indonesian media recently banned nearly 500 sites in a broad crackdown, and earlier this month the Information and Communication Ministry demanded app maker Line remove LGBT-friendly stickers from its store. The country’s largest internet service provider, a state-owned company called Telekom Indonesia, blocked Netflix in January over concerns about the content it offered. http://www.engadget.com/2016/02/17/indonesia-blocks-tumblr-over-porn/   USA – School leaders, prosecutor discuss child pornography victim care Prince George’s County school leaders and the county’s state’s attorney are discussing how to help the young alleged victims of a man charged with making child pornography. There are at least 17 victims. They want to make sure the children involved in these cases have all the help and therapy they need so they can heal and they won’t be perpetrators themselves. http://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2016/02/school-leaders-prosecutor-meet-to-discuss-child-pornography-victim-care   USA – Rampant Exchange of Porn Emails among State Officials The Pennsylvania government remains in a state of disarray after the state attorney general, recently exposed the rampant exchange of pornographic and vulgar emails by government officials. Attorney General Katherine Kane announced her findings about the inappropriate emails resulting in the resignation of Environmental Protection Secretary Christopher Abruzzo and Board of Probation and Parole member Randy Feathers. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Seamus McCaffery also stepped down as well as Justice J. Michael Eakin. Police Commissioner Frank Noonan and Kevin Harley, former spokesperson for then Gov. Tom Corbett, were also cited in the discovery. Kane found the pornographic correspondence while looking into why it took the state three years to prosecute now convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky. http://christiannews.net/2016/02/21/pennsylvania-in-mess-after-exposure-of-rampant-exchange-of-porn-emails-among-state-officials/   South Africa – FPB seeks two years in jail or a fine for revenge porn Communications Minister Faith Muthambi and the Film Publications Board (FPB) will present this bill to Parliament’s communications committee. The bill, introduced to Parliament in November 2015 seeks to amend the Films and Publications Act by closing gaps in relation to online content regulation. “Revenge porn” is the distribution of private sexual photographs and films without consent from the individual featured. If passed, offenders could face up to two years in jail or a fine of up to R150 000. In terms of the proposed new law, no person may post private photos or films on the internet and social media sites without the consent of the person. http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2016/02/22/FPB-seeks-two-years-in-jail-or-a-fine-of-up-to-R150000-for-revenge-porn   <Back to Top>   Sexual Exploitation   Indonesia – A way to deal with prostitution in the country by 2019 The Indonesian government announced a plan to close all 168 red-light districts across Indonesia by 2019 in order to deal with prostitution in the country. They managed to close Jakarta’s most notorious red-light districts and replace them with parks as the situation got out of control. As child sex tourism has become an issue at the resort islands many believe that red-light districts will affect children who live nearby negatively. Many women in Indonesia were indirectly forced to become prostitutes because the money was good and a way out of poverty. In other cases, the women were forced to enter prostitution by “family” and “friends. http://neurope.eu/article/government-plans-to-fight-prostitution-in-indonesia/   USA – More slaves today than during 400 years of the African Slave Trade Central Florida has become a slave-trafficking hotspot writes Rosie Reitze in the Central Florida Future. Earlier this year, Governor Rick Scott declared the month of January Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Scott signed four bills into law that went into effect to raise awareness of human trafficking. Jodi Cobb, an international photographer and author, photographed and produced the documentary “21st-Century Slaves” for National Geographic in 2003. “I think there’s a huge interest in human trafficking which has really grown since I did my story, the problem is, so has trafficking,” she said. “When I photographed it, there were more slaves in the world than the four centuries of the African slave trade combined, and now there’s even more.” http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/story/news/2016/02/10/modern-day-slavery-surrounds-ucf-orlando/80190768/   UN – Officials Call for Strengthened Partnerships to Combat Trafficking The scourge of Human Trafficking has victims spread across 152 different citizenships in 124 countries. “The promotion of human rights is central to our strategy,” Mogens Lykketoft said, urging all Member States to ratify and fully implement the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In September, the United Nations will convene a high-level summit on “Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants”. UN assembly President Mogens Lykketoft noted that the General Assembly agreed to hold a high-level meeting in late 2017 to conduct the second appraisal of the Global Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons, adopted in 2010. http://allafrica.com/stories/201602101555.html   UK – Tourists who pay for prostitutes abroad ‘should face prosecution in UK’ The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Prostitution by the campaigning group End Demand says payment for sex in the UK should be made illegal and “strongly considers” extending the offence to payments abroad. Research published by the British Medical Journal in 2014 found that among the 11 per cent of men in Britain aged 16 to 74 who have paid for sex, the majority (63 per cent) reported buying sex outside of the UK, mainly in Europe. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/sex-industry/sex-tourists-who-pay-for-prostitutes-abroad   <Back to Top>   Substance Abuse   UK – Study sheds light on source of drug addict’s risk-taking behaviour The study provides insight into how the brains of drug addicts may be wired differently. The findings which appear in the journal Psychopharmacology show that while drug users have strong motivation to seek out “rewards,” they exhibit an impaired ability to adjust their behaviour and are less fulfilled once they have achieved what they desire. Addressing this disconnect between the craving for a drug and the ability to regulate behaviour may be one of the keys to breaking the cycle of addiction. John Foxe, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Rochester Medical Centre said “It appears that the integrity of this system of assessment and self-regulation is impaired in substance abusers and this may contribute to their risk-taking behaviours and poor decision-making.” http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160210135211.htm   USA – Marijuana Use May Lead to Abuse of Other Substances Based on national surveys three years apart, researchers found that adults who reported using pot in the first survey were two to nine times more likely to have a substance abuse problem by the time of the second survey.”Patients who may be considering using cannabis should know that by using cannabis they are approximately doubling their risk of developing a drug use disorder over the next few years,” said senior study author Dr. Mark Olfson of Columbia University Medical Centre and the New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City. http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/marijuana-use-may-lead-abuse-other-substances-n523071   USA – New High: Legal Marijuana Sales Hit $5.4 Billion for 2015 Legal U.S. pot sales soared to $5.4 billion for 2015, up 17.4 percent from $4.6 billion in 2014, according to data released Monday by the ArcView Group, which tracks the cannabis markets. The figures include medical and adult consumer sales. However, the annual gain was largely fuelled by the explosive growth in consumer sales, as some states have approved adult recreational marijuana use. Adult use sales grew to $998 million from $351 million in 2014, according to the research. http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/new-high-legal-marijuana-sales-hit-5-4-billion-2015-n508851   Australia – “Medical marijuana” legalized in Australia The Australian parliament passed new national laws making the use of cannabis legal by people with “painful and chronic illness”. Amendments to the Narcotic Drugs Act permit legally-grown cannabis for the manufacture of medicinal cannabis products in Australia. The changes put “medical cannabis”, in the same category as restricted medicinal drugs such as morphine. Recreational cannabis cultivation and use remains illegal with state-based criminal laws still in place. http://www.businessinsider.com.au/medical-marijuana-is-now-legal-in-australia-2016-2   <Back to Top>   Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International]]>

Abortion USA – March for Life aims to defend rights of the unborn Brazil – Activists use Zika epidemic to press for abortion USA – D.A. Who Indicted Daleiden Received Cash from Abortionists Attorney USA – Ohio Senate De-Funds Planned Parenthood by $1 Million Alternative Medicine UK – Alternative medicine faces ban USA – Kratom Can Offer Relief but Sometimes a Relapse Euthanasia Canada – First euthanasia case – but was it legal? USA -American medical Association debates assisted suicide Belgium – Euthanasia continues to rise in Belgium IVF& Surrogacy UK – Genetic pattern in womb linked to IVF failure Vietnam – Surrogacy offered to parents who qualify Medical Ethics UK – On the verge of editing the genome of human embryos USA – Embryo custody battles on the rise USA – Complications of “effective referral” UK – London sperm bank allegedly promoting eugenics Pedophilia Indonesia – Sex abusers of children to be chemically castrated UK – Viewers of child sex abuse could lose homes Pornography   USA – Man puts up Billboard Addressing the Destructive Nature of Porn USA – Porn viewing escalates in India even though it is banned Canada – Police are warning teenagers of the dangers of “sexting” Canada – Sex Education curriculum to be released soon Same Sex Attraction USA – Republican lawmaker seek bans on LGBT conversion therapy Sexual Exploitation USA – The 2016Polaris Project Report United Arab Emirates – A centre of human trafficking and prostitution USA – Victims of Human Trafficking Must Be Treated As Victims USA – Five Harmful Myths About Human Trafficking Substance Abuse South Africa – Children are overprescribed mind-altering drugs USA – Drug Overdoses Hit Record High USA – Supportive Home Environment Helps Kids of Meth Addicted Moms Canada – Teens who use cannabis at risk of schizophrenia   Abortion   USA – March for Life aims to defend rights of the unborn On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all existing state laws protecting unborn children from abortion. The National Right to Life Committee estimates that over 58 million unborn children have been aborted in the United States since then. After 42 years of abortion on demand, numerous studies show that abortion hurts women spiritually, physically and emotionally. Post-abortive women have higher rates of sterility, miscarriage, substance abuse, and suicide as well as breast cancer. This year marks the 42nd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. The March for Life is the longest consecutive demonstration in U.S. history. http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/march-for-life-aims-to-defend-rights-of-the-unborn/article_f2959756-0ec8-5d41-b28d-b10d8e2c45a2.html   Brazil – Activists use Zika epidemic to press for abortion The abortion debate has been reignited in Brazil amid fears about severe birth defects linked to the Zika virus which causes defects such as microcephaly in foetuses, though the link is yet to be scientifically proven. A group of Brazilian academics and activists has created a petition to ask the country’s Supreme Court to allow abortions for women who have contracted the virus. The group, based around the Anis Institute of Bioethics, Human Rights and Gender at Brazilia University, successfully campaigned in 2012 to add a third exception to Brazil’s ban on abortion. Now in addition to medical emergencies and rapecases, women can legally seek an abortion if their child is suffering from anencephaly. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/zika-and-abortion-in-brazil/11733#sthash.h3JVL0yh.dpuf   USA – D.A. Who Indicted Daleiden Received Cash from Abortionists Attorney Devon Anderson’s re-election campaign received more than $25,000 from attorney, Chip Lewis who works for late-term abortionist, Douglas Karpen. Anderson’s personal relationship with Karpen’s attorney may have contributed to the failure of the grand jury to indict Karpen. Operation Rescue commented, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and there’s just way too much smoke blowing Planned Parenthood’s way in Harris County for us to feel remotely comfortable that Anderson’s office can conduct a fair and impartial investigation”.  A Planned Parenthood board member Lauren Reeder also works for Anderson as an assistant district attorney. Although Anderson indicates Reeder had no role in the Daleiden indictment, there’s really no way of knowing if that is truly the case. http://www.lifenews.com/2016/01/28/d-a-who-indicted-david-daleiden-received-over-25000-from-attorney-for-late-term-abortionist/   USA – Ohio Senate De-Funds Planned Parenthood by $1 Million Legislation to de-fund Planned Parenthood (H.B. 294) was approved by the Ohio Senate on a 22-8 vote as the House passed the legislation, 62-30. House Bill 294 now heads back to the Ohio House for concurrence, and then on to the desk of Governor John Kasich, who has signed 16 Ohio Right to Life initiatives over the last five years. “With an infant mortality crisis like Ohio’s, our State has to be very deliberate in ensuring that funds combating that crisis go to programs that respect the whole continuum of life,” said Stephanie Ranade Krider, executive director of Ohio Right to Life. http://www.lifenews.com/2016/01/27/ohio-senate-de-funds-planned-parenthood-after-it-sells-aborted-baby-parts-cuts-1-million/   Alternative Medicine   UK – Alternative medicine faces ban Ministers in the United Kingdom recently announced that the National Health Service could ban doctors from prescribing homeopathic remedies. ”We need governments around the world to recognize the dangers of promoting homeopathy for life-threatening illnesses,” said Robert Hagan, a biomolecular scientist at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. We are calling on the WHO to condemn the promotion of homeopathy for treating TB, infant diarrhea, influenza, malaria and HIV. Homeopathy does not protect people from, or treat, these diseases. Paula Ross, chief executive of the Society of Homeopaths, agreed with the concerns about promoting homeopathy remedies. http://www.salon.com/2015/12/24/the_homeopathy_backlash_is_on_alternative_medicine_faces_ban_in_u_k_partner/   USA – Kratom Can Offer Relief but Sometimes a Relapse A Southeast Asian leaf called Kratom affects the brain like an opiate and can be addictive. “It’s a fascinating drug, but we need to know a lot more about it,” said Dr. Edward W. Boyer, University of Massachusetts Medical School and a co-author of several scientific articles on Kratom. Because it’s categorized as a botanic dietary supplement, the FDA cannot restrict its sale. The FDA did ban the import of Kratom into United States in 2014. However, the DEA has listed it as a “drug of concern” not a controlled substance, which would require proven health risks and abuse potential. Kratom’s narcotic effects have been known for centuries in its native Thailand who banned it decades ago amid widespread abuse. http://food.ndtv.com/opinions/an-alternative-for-addicts-kratom-can-offer-relief-and-sometimes-a-relapse-1261936   <Back to Top>   Euthanasia   Canada -Was the first euthanasia caselegal At least one person and perhaps three have been euthanized in Quebec since the Canadian province’s legislation went into effect in December. Dr Georges L’Espérance, president of the death-with-dignity group (l’Association québécoise pour le droit de mourir dans la dignité), said that he was not aware of the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Although the Supreme Court struck down the prohibition of assisted suicide and euthanasia in February 2015, the legality of the deaths is disputed, as the deaths in Quebec preceded the Supreme Court’s concession and thus were technically illegal. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/first-euthanasia-case-in-quebec/11720   USA -American medical Association debates assisted suicide The latest issue of JAMA (Journal of American Medical Associations) showcases the views of leading American doctors and lawyers on physician-assisted suicide (PAS). The theme is captured by the headline above one of the articles: “Physician-Assisted Dying: Turning Point?” After California legalized it last year, other US states could follow. Nothing novel emerges from the discussion, other than a sense of impending change. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/jama-debates-assisted-suicide/11721   Belgium – Euthanasia continues to rise in Belgium The latest statistics released by Belgium’s Federal Evaluation and Control Commission for Euthanasia, put the total of recorded cases in 2015 at 2021 (a rise of over 100 cases from 2014).Wim Distelmans, head of the commission, attributes the surge to an increase in the reporting of euthanasia by doctors. Distelmans said the actual total of deaths in 2015 might be much higher than reported. “Remember, there could be some euthanasia cases carried out but which are not declared so we cannot say for certain what the position is”. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/euthanasia-continues-to-rise-in-belgium/11735   <Back to Top>   Same Sex Attraction   USA – Republican lawmaker seek bans on LGBT conversion therapy A Republican lawmaker is proposing legislation in New Hampshire to ban therapy aimed at changing the sexual orientation of minors, a move that is sure to cause friction within the party. Eric Schleien said he doesn’t think it’s possible to change someone’s sexual orientation through so-called conversion therapy but some fellow Republican lawmakers say the effort could undermine religious liberty and parental rights. If Schleien’s bill passes, New Hampshire would become the fifth state to ban the practice. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage nationwide last year ignited a new fight over religious liberty, with some people arguing that being forced to recognize gay marriage violates religious freedom. http://www.benningtonbanner.com/state/ci_28971669/republican-lawmaker-seek-bans-lgbt-conversion-therapy-new?source=rss_viewed   <Back to Top>   IVF&Surrogacy   UK – Genetic pattern in womb linked to IVF failure ‘Many women undergo a number of In- Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) cycles without success despite having good quality embryos and, up to now, it has been unclear whether or not the lining of the womb may be the cause of that,’ said Nick Macklon, Chair in obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Southampton in UK.In this new study, scientists have identified a genetic pattern in the womb that could predict whether or not IVF treatment is likely to be successful. The discovery would help clinicians understand why IVF fails repeatedly in some women. The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports. http://www.financialexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/genetic-pattern-in-womb-linked-to-ivf-failure-study/201800/?   Vietnam – Surrogacy offered to parents who qualify As Thailand closes its doors to commercial surrogacy, another South East Asian nation has tentatively begun to utilize surrogacy for couples unable to have children.Early last year Vietnam amended its marriage and family legislation to allow altruistic surrogacy. Altruistic surrogacy means a practice whereby a woman agrees, for no financial gain, to become pregnant and bear a child for another person or persons to whom she intends to transfer the child’s care at, or shortly after, the child’s birth.Under new regulations, couples must have not yet had a child, and must show that they are unable to conceive, even with IVF. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/surrogacy-comes-to-vietnam/11725#sthash.QZJ3HLyI.dpuf   <Back to Top>   Medical Ethics   UK – On the verge of editing the genome of human embryos Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute could begin genetically engineering human embryos as early as March if approved.A team led by Kathy Niakan plans to study how embryos develop by systematically disabling genes using CRISPR. However, Dr Calum MacKellar, Director of Research of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics says:“Allowing gene editing of embryos opens the road to genetically modifying all the descendants of a person as well as full blown eugenics which was condemned by all civilized societies after the Second World War. It is the very future of the way in which societies accept persons with disabilities that is at play since such gene editing procedures infer that they should not have been brought into existence.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/uk-on-verge-of-editing-genome-of-human-embryos/11714   USA – Embryo custody battles on the rise Two embryos were “left over” after Jalesia McQueen and Justin Gadberry used IVF to have twins, now 8. A Missouri County Court ruled that the now divorced couple ‘jointly’ owns the remaining embryos. She wants more children and he wants the embryos destroyed. McQueen’s appeal to the Missouri Court of Appeals is indicative of a broader trend in embryo disputes: affected parties are increasingly appealing to the legal status of embryos as persons to prevent their destruction. Although no US jurisdiction treats embryos as persons entitled to constitutional protection, the Chicago-based Thomas More Society, which is providing legal assistance to McQueen, says that there is legislation in a number of US jurisdictions stating that life begins with conception. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/embryo-custody-battles-on-the-rise/11724   USA – Complications of “effective referral” Whether doctors with a conscientious objection to abortion or euthanasia have an obligation to refer patients is hotly debated. The Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons, for instance, strongly supports “effective referral” for euthanasia. However, the trial of a 95-year-old former healthcare worker at Auschwitz might make the position of conscientious objectors more plausible. 94-year-old Oscar Groening, dubbed “the bookkeeper of Auschwitz”, was convicted and sentenced to four years in jail, even though he had no direct involvement in the deaths of the camp’s inmates. Perhaps it makes sense for doctors to have misgivings about being complicit in controversial procedures. What is legal now may be condemned in the future and “effective referral” might not be accepted as an excuse. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/the-challenge-of-conscientious-objection/11722   UK – London sperm bank allegedly promoting eugenics Following complaints about a London Sperm Bank, the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority has asked why donors with medical conditions are being excluded. Fred Fisher, a 30-year-old dyslexic Oxford graduate software engineer was rejected by the sperm bank. “I told them this was eugenics. Would they turn away Richard Branson or Albert Einstein? Steve O’Brien, chair of the Dyslexia Foundation commented: “This is eugenics. It’s trying to say that dyslexics shouldn’t be in society.” A spokesperson for the London Sperm Bank denied that the company’s policy was eugenicist. However, in a now-withdrawn leaflet, it stated that it excluded men with certain conditions to “minimize the risk of transmitting common genetic diseases or malformations to any children born”. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/london-sperm-bank-allegedly-promoting-eugenics/11730   <Back to Top>   Pedophilia   Indonesia – Sex abusers of children to be chemically castrated President Joko Widodo is set to issue a regulation which stipulates a harsher sanction for anyone who commits sexual violence against children. This will involve injecting a hormone to reduce libido and sexual activity, in an attempt to minimize the chances of re-offending. http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/sex-abusers-to-be-chemically-castrated-1979784   UK – Viewers of child sex abuse could lose homes People who view images of child sex abuse could lose their homes or pensions under new US-style laws being proposed by a powerful coalition of children’s charities demanding action from the British government. The act would force offenders to pay damages that would help their victims to pay for medical services, therapy, lost income and legal fees.  John Carr, the coalition’s secretary, said a new law was urgently needed. Estimates suggest that pedophiles in the UK alone could be holding between 150 million and 360 million images of child abuse. “I think this could be a very effective. If guys know they could lose their house or their pension, they’ll think twice.” http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jan/16/internet-paedophiles-pay-damages-childrens-charities-michael-gove   <Back to Top>   Pornography   USA – Man puts up Billboard Addressing the Destructive Nature of Porn A Wisconsin 73-year old retired insurance broker, Jim Guell, got tired of seeing billboards advertising adult stores near his home, so he decided to take action. He struggled with pornography as a young man, so he knows how destructive it can be.Guell teamed up with a Catholic fraternal association and raised funds to design billboards which have slogans like “Porn Destroys Love” to counter the billboards being displayed.People are taking notice of the new billboard and have mentioned it to Guell who hopes it will make a difference. http://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/wisconsin-man-starts-effort-to-erect-billboard-stating-porn-destroys-love.html   USA – Porn viewing escalates in India even though it is banned Ban or no ban, India is watching more porn than ever. In 2015, India knocked out Canada to grab the third position behind the US and Britain in visiting one of the world’s largest adult websites Pornhub. PornHub received 21.2 billion visits in 2015 – 40,000 visits every minute or 2.4 million per hour. Visits from Smartphone’s alone now account for 53 percent of traffic shares, up from just 45 percent last year. http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ban-or-no-ban-india-watching-more-porn-than-ever-survey-1264719   Canada – Police are warning teenagers of the dangers of “sexting” Police are warning teenagers of the dangers of “sexting” after numerous students are facing consequences for sending nude photos to one another.Durham Regional Police said a parent reported that nude photos of her child’s female classmate were being circulated by a male classmate.An investigation was launched after learning that there were some very disturbing images being passed between students at different schools according to Sgt. Bill Calder.Police have entered into “diversion contracts” with the teens, which are agreements that must be followed in order to prevent criminal charges being laid. http://globalnews.ca/news/2390587/police-issue-warning-on-sexting-after-ontario-teens-reprimanded-over-nude-photos/   Canada – Sex Education curriculum to be released soon Students will learn about the benefits and potential dangers of online activity in Grade 1 and about “sexting” in Grade 4 under Ontario’s revised sex education curriculum.The guide says students in Grades 1, 2 and 3 will learn initial searching skills and strategies for safe Internet use, including “how to get help for themselves or others if harassment or abuse happens either face-to-face or online.”The primary grade students will also learn the difference between real and fictional violence, in the media or with online games, and “respectful communications” in the gym, classroom and schoolyard. http://globalnews.ca/news/1844024/sexting-risks-part-of-ontarios-revised-sex-ed-curriculum/   <Back to Top>   Sexual Exploitation   USA – The 2016Polaris Project Report Thisreport provides 2015 data from the National Human Trafficking Resource Centre (NHTRC) hotline.In 2015, the NHTRC received 21,947 calls, 1,535 web-forms, 1275 emails and 1,472 SMS’s.Of these communications 5973 referenced potential cases of human trafficking.252 of the human trafficking cases reported occurred overseas.In total, 25,696 trafficking cases have been reported through the NHTRC since December 2007.More than 1,600 survivors of human trafficking reached out for help in 2015, a 24{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} increase over 2014.The top venue for sex trafficking was commercial front brothels and the top industry for labor trafficking was domestic work. https://polarisproject.org/resources/2015-hotline-statistics https://traffickingresourcecenter.org   United Arab Emirates –Dubai known as centre of human trafficking and prostitution Dubai, one of seven emirates, is known as a centre for prostitution and sex tourism in the Middle East. Some estimates have 30,000 sex workers there alone where prostitutes offer their services openly. Even though prostitution is strictly forbidden in the UAE and Sharia courts can impose flogging, Dubai, Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah have shelters combating human trafficking after a law was passed in 2006 criminalizing it. In 2014 only 15 women took their cases to court. An activist for migrants’ rights from one of the Persian Gulf countries, who asked not to be named, says that “literally on a monthly basis” they receive reports about domestic workers sold into sex slavery upon arrival in Dubai. http://www.smh.com.au/world/dubai-in-united-arab-emirates-an-epicentre-of-human-trafficking-and-prostitution-20160115-gm6mdl.html#ixzz3xm11ZTY0   USA – Victims of Human Trafficking Must Be Treated As Victims January was Human Trafficking Awareness Month writes Preston Ship, a former prosecutor turned criminal justice reform advocate. It is estimated that half of the victims of human trafficking are children, with an average age between 11 and 14 years old when they enter the world of sex trafficking. Many of these children have run away from abusive or neglectful homes, are living on the streets and are forced into the commercial sex trade to acquire food, shelter, and clothing necessary for survival. They are easy targets for traffickers, who lie, manipulate, threaten, and violently force them into prostitution. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/preston-shipp/victims-of-human-trafficking_b_9090210.html   USA – Five Harmful Myths of Human Trafficking The Honorable Judy Harris Kluger, executive director of the Sanctuary for Families in the US says human trafficking is kept under wraps, overlooked and often ignored. Few reliable studies exist about its prevalence and it is important to dispel some often-repeated myths about trafficking. Kluger summarizes them as follows:1: Human trafficking only happens in countries far away from the United States.2: Only women are victims of human trafficking.3: Human trafficking requires physical force or restraint.4: Human trafficking is a small, underground industry that doesn’t affect many people.5: There is nothing I can do to end human trafficking. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hon-judy-harris-kluger/five-harmful-myths-about-_b_8994544.html   <Back to Top>   Substance Abuse   South Africa – Children are overprescribed mind-altering drugs South Africa reports having one of the highest rates in the world of prescribed stimulants for children labelled with so-called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – a rate even higher than in the U.S. South Africa also shows antidepressants are being prescribed to children aged two and younger and powerful antipsychotics like Risperdal are approved to treat disruptive behaviour in children older than 5 with mental retardation. Wanting South Africa to avoid the epidemic of psychotropic drug abuse of children seen in the U.S., Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) has launched a campaign to inform South African parents and teachers about prescribed psychotropic drug risks in children. http://www.health24.com/Medical/ADHD/ADHD-and-school/south-african-toddlers-prescribed-mind-altering-stimulants-antidepressants-and-antipsychotics-20160129   USA – Drug Overdoses Hit Record High In 2014 more than 47000 Americans died from drug overdoses fuelled largely by the abuse of narcotic painkillers and heroin- a 14 percent increase over 2013. Since 2000 nearly 500000 people have died from overdoses, according to a new report from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. “The increasing number of deaths from opioid overdose is alarming,” CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a statement. “To curb these trends and save lives, we must help prevent addiction and provide support and treatment to those who suffer from opioid use disorders,” he said. Oxycodone and hydrocodone, continue to be among the most commonly prescribed narcotic painkillers, and are responsible for more overdose deaths than any other narcotic. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015-12-18/drug-overdoses-hit-record-high-cdc   USA – Supportive Home Environment Helps Kids of Meth Addicted Moms Abuse of methamphetamine during pregnancy remains a significant problem as a new study discovers nearly one-fourth of pregnant women seeking treatment at federal facilities were methamphetamine users. The study, scheduled for publication in The Journal of Paediatrics, found that while prenatal methamphetamine exposure can lead to targeted behavioural issues, a supportive home environment significantly decreases the severity and risk of these issues.“In the first study of its kind, we followed children who experienced prenatal methamphetamine exposure, up to the age of 7.5 years and found that adversities, such as poverty and continued drug abuse by a parent, contributed to behavioural and emotional control issues,” said Lynne M. Smith, M.D., lead researcher and corresponding author of the study. http://psychcentral.com/news/2016/01/25/supportive-home-environment-helps-kids-of-moms-hooked-on-meth/98145.html   Canada – Teens who use cannabis at risk of schizophrenia Researchers from Western University in Ontario have shed light on the significant, long-term impacts of THC on the adolescent brain, after exposing adolescent rodents to THC. Using a combination of behavioral and molecular analyses with in vivo neuronal electrophysiology, results showed substantial and persistent behavioral, neuronal and molecular changes that are identical to neuropsychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia. Adolescent rodents with THC exposure were socially withdrawn and demonstrated increased anxiety, cognitive disorganization and abnormal levels of dopamine. This is consistent with sub-cortical DAergic dysregulation, a key characteristic of schizophrenia. Several prefrontal cortical molecular pathways were also profoundly altered. These changes continued into early adulthood, well past the initial exposure. Dr Steven Laviolette, PhD, led the research. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/305151.php   <Back to Top>   Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International]]>