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Abortion Poland – The doctor who refused to abortUSA – Abortion clinic quits fight to keep doing procedures Alternative Medicine No news today Euthanasia USA – Media ethics 101: How not to report suicideThe Netherlands – Is fear of nursing homes a reason for euthanasia?Switzerland – Swiss suicide tourism doubles in four years HIV/AIDS No news today Homosexuality France – European High Court rules that same sex marriage not a rightUK – Leading homosexual activist appointed to House of LordsUganda – Seeks to reinstate anti-gay bill USA – String of same-sex marriage rulings broken IVF & Surrogacy China – The world of Chinese surrogacyCanada – Controversy over clinic’s mixed-race IVF prohibitionAustralia – Government could recognize multiple parents Medical Ethics Iran – Calls for regulation as kidney trade spirals out of controlUSA – What students think about conscientious objectionUSA – Should we compensate organ donors? USA – WHO endorses use of untested Ebola treatments Pedophilia Germany – Study: Onset of pedophilia can be detectedUK – At a glance: Rotherham child sexual exploitation report USA – Virtuous Pedophiles group gives support therapy cannot Pornography UK- Brash porn act is shaping an unhealthy sexual culture among teens Prostitution &Trafficking Norway – Actual evidence shows the Nordic model worksSpain – Countries should not include prostitution in their GDPZimbabwe – ‘Street kids’ turn to prostitution UK – Swedish prostitution law is spreading worldwide Stem Cells & Cloning UK – ‘Stem cells show promise in stroke recovery’ Substance Abuse Canada – “Medical marijuana” regime is ‘bad medicine,’ CMA head warnsUSA – Did smoking marijuana give these young men heart attacks?USA – The Risks of Smoking Pot While Breastfeeding Uruguay – people can grow their own pot  

Abortion

Poland – The doctor who refused to abort Bogdan Chazan lost his post heading a government-run maternity hospital after he said his conscience prevented him from killing an unborn child. A woman whose physician had detected severe developmental defects in an unborn baby, ask for abortion and Chazan refused. The Warsaw Mayor Hanna dismissed Chazan from his position as director of the hospital. She said Chazan did not have the right to refuse the abortion, and said Polish law obliged him to offer the woman an abortion referral. Chazan is accused of ordering unnecessary tests and prolonging her pregnancy beyond “viable” period of 24 weeks of gestation. The hospital was also fined $23,000, and Chazan was given a three-month job termination notice and placed on leave. http://www.worldmag.com/2014/08/the_doctor_who_refused_to_abort USA – Abortion clinic quits fight to keep doing procedures An abortion clinic that was fighting the state of Ohio to remain open has decided it will stop performing surgical abortions. At the heart of that fight is a rule that abortion clinics, as with all ambulatory surgical centers in Ohio, must have a patient transfer agreement with a local hospital in the event complications arise. The Sharonville clinic had been fighting to overturn a decision former Health Director Ted Wymyslo made in January that denied the clinic a variance to the transfer agreement rule. The variance would have allowed it to remain open. Ohio Right to Life, which lobbied for the transfer agreement change in state law, achieved a victory it has been seeking for the last 30 years. http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2014/08/clinic_quits_fight_to_keep_doi.html  

Alternative Medicine

No news today <Back to Top>

Euthanasia

USA – Media ethics 101: How not to report suicide After the recent suicide of US, comedian Robin Williams many experts in media ethics expressed their horror of the media reports. Sharon Mallon of the Open University implored newspapers to show restraint when reporting these sensitive issues to prevent copycat suicides by vulnerable people: “If we are to prevent imitative suicides, all reporting must simultaneously provide the public with enough information to understand the death, while providing an image of suicide that is sensitively managed through careful reporting. Meanwhile in Australia, Dr Nitschke told ABC News that he had been inundated by requests for information about suicide despite the bad publicity. However, most of his clients are just vulnerable elderly rather than vulnerable teenagers. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11102 The Netherlands – Is fear of nursing homes a reason for euthanasia? A Dutch euthanasia clinic is being investigated for helping an elderly woman to die because she did not want to live in a nursing home. The clinic’s doctors decided that this was the case, based on some of her gestures and her repeated use of the words ‘kan niet’ which they interpreted as ‘I can’t go on any longer like this’. This is the second time in four months that the Levenseindekliniek (End of Life Clinic) in The Hague has been reprimanded. In the two years after it opened in March 2013, 322 people were killed there. The authorities are studying whether to proceed with a prosecution – something which apparently has not happened since euthanasia was legalized. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11125 Switzerland – Swiss suicide tourism doubles in four years Germans and British make up the bulk of the numbers, with neurological conditions, such as paralysis, motor neuron disease, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis, accounting for almost half of the cases, findings show. 611 non-residents had been helped to die between 2008 and 2012, all but four of whom had gone to Dignitas. Their ages ranged from 23 to 97. In all, residents from 31 different countries were helped to die in Switzerland between 2008 and 2012, with German (268) and UK (126) nationals making up almost two thirds of the total. Virtually all the deaths were caused by taking sodium pentobarbital. Four people inhaled helium—deaths which were widely publicized and described as “excruciating,” said researchers. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11118 <Back to Top>

HIV/AIDS & STI’s

No news today <Back to Top>

Homosexuality

France – European High Court rules that same sex marriage not a right The European Court of Human Rights has re-affirmed its position that member states do not have to recognize same-sex ‘marriage’. The decision has been hailed as ‘monumental’ by Joseph La Rue of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). He argues that because US judges have previously cited European Court judgments, the ruling could have a major impact on an upcoming same-sex case at the US Supreme Court. In its decision, the ECHR highlighted the fact that there is no European consensus on same-sex ‘marriage’. 37 countries within the Council of Europe area do not recognize it and only 10 are in favor of it. http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/same-sex-marriage/european-court-rules-that-same-sex-marriage-is-not-a-right UK – Leading homosexual activist appointed to House of Lords A co-founder of Stonewall, Britain’s powerful LGBT lobby group, and the longtime head of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT Rights, was named to the House of Lords last week by Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government. Michael Cashman was one of the principal figures within Stonewall pressuring the group to adopt as a lead policy the demand to change the definition of marriage – to which the coalition government acquiesced for England and Wales amid vituperative debate in 2013. A spokesman for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) told LifeSiteNews.com they are concerned that with the appointment, Michael “Cashman will use his role in Britain’s ‘revising chamber’ to continue his campaigning against life and family.” http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/gay-activist-appointed-to-british-house-of-lords Uganda – Seeks to reinstate anti-gay bill Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni wants to reinstate a divisive anti-gay law that was rejected by a court, but without tough penalties for consenting adults, a ruling party legislator has said. “We agreed to come up with a new version that doesn’t hurt our Western friends but also protects Ugandans,” Medard Bitekyerezo said on Tuesday. “(The president) said he wants the law back in the house but now says if two consenting adults go into their room and decide to be stupid, let them be,” he said. “What he said he doesn’t want, and which we must even increase the penalties (for), is recruitment of children and exploiting financially vulnerable youths.” http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/08/uganda-seeks-reinstate-anti-gay-bill-20148138256501947.html USA – String of same-sex marriage rulings broken A judge in Tennessee upheld the state’s Constitutional authority to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. What about arguments that claim there is a fundamental right to same-sex marriage? Judge Russell E. Simmons explains that while “marriage is a fundamental right,” there is no right to redefine marriage. Simmons continued: “neither the Tennessee Supreme Court nor the United States Supreme Court has ever decided that this fundamental right under a state’s laws extends beyond the traditional definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Simmons explains: “The battle is not between whether or not marriage is a fundamental right but what unions are included in the definition of marriage.” Yes, the fundamental policy question in this debate is. What Is Marriage and who gets to define it. Simmons ruled it “should be the prerogative of each State.” http://dailysignal.com/2014/08/12/judge-upholds-states-authority-define-marriage-union-man-woman/ <Back to Top>

IVF &Surrogacy

China – The world of Chinese surrogacy Although it is technically illegal, there are many loopholes and China now has an estimated 1,000 surrogate mother brokers. The CEO of Baby Plan Medical Technology Company says that his business has four branches and a track record of 300 babies. The children are expensive: US$240,000. The NY Times features a surrogate from the impoverished countryside who hopes to solve her financial problems with the pregnancy. Baby Plan provides her with good medical care but sequesters her in a flat for the duration of her pregnancy. “Our liaison staff tells them every day that the baby in your stomach isn’t your baby,” says the CEO. “A nice way of putting it is emotional comfort; less nice is brainwashing.” http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11092 Canada – Controversy over clinic’s mixed-race IVF prohibition A Canadian fertility clinic has come under intense scrutiny for refusing to provide IVF for parents of different races.  Dr. Calvin Green, the clinic’s administrative director, claimed that mixed-race IVF promotes a designer baby culture: “I’m not sure that we should be creating rainbow families just because some single woman decides that that’s what she wants”. In a statement last month the clinic announced that it now provides mixed-race IVF. “If the assumption is that it is not in the best interest to be in a racially mixed family, that’s very bizarre”, said bioethicist Kerry Bowman from the University of Toronto. “Women will decide for themselves how they want their family to be constructed.” http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11088 Australia – Government could recognize multiple parents Australian law could be revised to allow more than two parents, if the “Report On Parentage And The Family Law Act” is accepted. Adoption and new reproduction technologies are placing new strains on what “parent” means in contemporary society. Because of “the evidence of family diversity and children’s views about who is a parent”, the Family law Council has recommended that the word “parent” be replaced by “other significant adults” or “other people of significance to the child” and that references to “both” (which implies only two) parents should be omitted. The report was commissioned by the previous Labor government and was completed last December. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11107 <Back to Top>

Medical Ethics

Iran – Calls for regulation as kidney trade spirals out of control The body overseeing Iran’s kidney trade is lobbying the government for tighter regulation on foreign nationals procuring kidney transplants. According to Mostafa Qasemi, of the Charity Association for the Support of Kidney Patients (CASKP), many foreigners are enter the country with false documentation and procure transplants from unscrupulous doctors. “These patients enter the country with false documents; doctors do not examine their documents and are paid millions to carry out a kidney transplant for them”, he said. Iran is the only nation in which buying and selling of kidneys is legal. The market is regulated by the CASKP and the Ministry of Health’s Charity Foundation for Special Diseases. More than 2,300 kidney transplants are done in the country each year. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11086 USA – What students think about conscientious objection A study in the Journal of Medical Ethics by a group of researchers from the University of Oslo, canvassed the views of 531 fifth and sixth year medical students in Norway. 62{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of said they would object to participating in euthanasia – a surprisingly high proportion considering that the majority of Norwegians are said to support legalising euthanasia. Only between 12.5{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} to 19{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}, said they would object to participating in abortions depending on the stage of pregnancy and disabilities just (4.9{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}) said they would object to referring patients for abortions. Norway has strict regulations on conscientious objection to abortion. Doctors are required by law to refer patients to abortionists, even if they have moral reservations. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11114 USA – Should we compensate organ donors? There are 23,000 people on US organ donation waiting lists but only 29,000 organ transplants took place in 2013. Sally Satel of the American Enterprise Institute said “altruism, as a strategy, is simply not producing enough organs. It needs to be supplemented with compensated donation”. However, Dr. Jeremy Chapman of Sydney’s Westmead Hospital argues the US is better off fixing problems in the current system, rather than abandoning altruism as a basis for donation: “[Many] ignore the hundreds of donated kidneys that must be discarded each year in the United States. They ignore the lessons that can be learned from the successful organ procurement regions of the country that derive twice as many organs per capita as the least successful programs.” http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11115 USA – WHO endorses use of untested Ebola treatments The WHO has endorsed using untested Ebola interventions on patients infected with the disease through a 12-member panel of bioethicists. Assistant director-general Marie-Paule Kieny said, “In the particular circumstances of this outbreak, and provided certain conditions are met, the panel reached consensus that it is ethical to offer unproven interventions with as yet unknown efficacy and adverse effects, as potential treatment or prevention.” The two American victims of the virus, as well as Spanish victim Rev. Miguel Pajares, received an experimental anti-ebola drug called ZMapp. Pajares has since died, but the American patients are in a stable condition. Small shipments of Zmapp have arrived in the Liberia for use on infected doctors. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11097 <Back to Top>

Pedophilia

Germany – Study: Onset of pedophilia can be detected Scientists in Germany have confirmed that pedophiles could be scanned and spotted in the near future, as brains of child abusers are oddly tuned to be attracted to children’s faces.” The critical new finding is that face processing is also tuned to face cues revealing the developmental age that is sexually preferred,” says the paper submitted by the team of researchers, led by Dr Jorge Ponseti from Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany, which has been published in the Royal Society Journal. The study claims that human faces can motivate either a nurturing characteristic or a sexual one, when looking at pictures of children. In the case of pedophiles, their sexual attraction is directed towards children who are sexually novice. http://www.ibtimes.co.in/soon-x-rays-will-be-able-spot-paedophiles-607113 UK – At a glance: Rotherham child sexual exploitation report An estimated 1,400 children were sexually exploited in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013 is among the key findings of an independent report by Professor Alexis Jay into the handling of child sexual exploitation (CSE) by social services and police in the South Yorkshire town. Children were raped by multiple attackers, trafficked to other towns and cities in the north of England, abducted, beaten and intimidated, the report revealed. The report said several staff members were afraid they would be labeled racist if they identified the race of the perpetrators, while others said they were instructed by their managers not to do so. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28942986 USA – Virtuous Pedophiles group gives support therapy cannot Mr. Edwards from Pennsylvania, co-founded an online support group called Virtuous Pedophiles. The 330-member group, which is designed to help admitted pedophiles talk through their conditions and curb their desires, is completely anonymous. The Virginia-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children fears that sites like these operate merely under the guise of helping pedophiles remain celibate, but instead enable them to trade tips and tricks on how to groom children for sexual purposes. But James Cantor, from Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, calls it a “wonderful organization” that helps a largely invisible group support each other to keep from committing crimes. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/virtuous-pedophiles-group-gives-support-therapy-cannot-1.2710160 <Back to Top>

Pornography

UK- Brash porn act is shaping an unhealthy sexual culture among teens A study, published in the journal BMJ Open, found that some young men weren’t concerned about getting consent for anal sex from young women. According to Dr. Cicely Marston, senior lecturer in social science at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, “The overwhelming feeling from the people who had engaged in anal sex was that it exists in a coercive environment.” Cindy Gallop, founder of MakeLoveNotPorn.com, said, “In the absence of any healthy, accurate, honest, truthful conversation about sex in the real world, young women and men are getting their sex education from porn.” The researchers are pushing for more open discussion with parents and sex educators to help reduce these harmful attitudes. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/relationships/this-brash-porn-act-is-shaping-an-unhealthy-sexual-culture-among-teens/article20084111/ <Back to Top>

Prostitution & Trafficking

Norway – Actual evidence shows the Nordic model works A study commissioned by Norway’s government shows that criminalizing the purchase of sex has decreased trafficking and has not caused violence against women to increase, as some have claimed. Johns have been criminalized in Norway since 2009, following in Sweden’s footsteps. “The nearly 200-page report is based on six months of research, including interviews with male and female prostitutes, police and support organizations. It is no real surprise that organized crime has taken over the trade in places that have legalized. Women and girls are trafficked because there just aren’t enough of them who enter the trade willingly — demand begets exploitation; reduce demand and you reduce exploitation. Meanwhile, claims that legalizing or decriminalizing the purchase of sex would make it safer have not proven to be true and countries like Germany and New Zealand are reconsidering their laws. http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/feminist-current/2014/08/actual-evidence-shows-nordic-model-works Spain – Countries should not include prostitution in their GDP Elena Valenciano, Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights of the European Parliament, has asked the European Commission to prevent countries from including prostitution in the calculation of their GDP, as this would be a violation of human rights. Valenciano sharply criticized the European System of National and Regional Accounts of the European Union “which makes it mandatory for countries to include prostitution in their gross domestic product.” https://www.euroweeklynews.com/finance/item/122367-countries-should-not-include-prostitution-in-their-gdp Zimbabwe – ‘Street kids’ turn to prostitution In the Midlands capital of Gweru, most girls who live on the streets have turned to sex work because of the escalating economic challenges facing the country. After suffering repeated abuse from relatives and boys on the streets who took turns to rape her, Elina decided to indulge in sex work. Even though prostitution is not an easy profession, the burden of taking care of her young sister, also presents a serious challenge to the orphan. “Begging does not bring much, so desperation drove me into this,” she said with a muffled voice. http://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-local-byo-52329.html UK – Swedish prostitution law is spreading worldwide Supporters of the Swedish approach argue that it does not encourage trafficking. In 1999, when Sweden passed a law criminalizing the buying but not the selling of sex, many outsiders were dubious. Norway adopted it in 2008 and Iceland in 2009. Canada’s government recently proposed a version of it. In the Netherlands, where pimping and brothel keeping were legalized, trafficking has increased and the welfare of prostitutes has suffered. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/08/criminsalise-buying-not-selling-sex <Back to Top>

Stem Cells & Cloning

UK – ‘Stem cells show promise in stroke recovery’ Infusing stem cells into the brain may help boost recovery after a stroke, according to a pilot study by Imperial College London. Scientists found most patients were able to walk and look after themselves independently by the end of the 6 month trial, despite having suffered severe strokes. Dr Tim Chico, from the University of Sheffield said: “It is important to understand this is only the very earliest step towards a possible new treatment for stroke and does not prove the stem cell treatment improved these patients’ recovery. “A much larger trial will be needed to compare stem cell treatment with no stem cell treatment. The study is published in Stem Cell Translational Medicine. http://www.bbc.com/news/health-28694656 <Back to Top>

Substance Abuse

Canada – “Medical marijuana” regime is ‘bad medicine,’ CMA head warns The Canadian government’s new marijuana (dagga) regime is “awkward” and “strains the patient-doctor relationship,” said Canadian Medical Association (CMA) head, Dr. Louis Francescutti. Doctors are asked to prescribe a ‘medication’ that hasn’t been put through the rigorous testing process that all other medications on the market are subject to, he said. “It’s just bad medicine to be asked to authorize a product that we don’t know how it works.” Francescutti said. “Where are the studies? We try to base what we do on evidence.” Doctors are facing pressure from patients who insist it helps them, from a burgeoning marijuana industry that is making “outrageous claims” about its benefits, and a regime that calls on doctors to “blindfoldly” prescribe it. http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/medical-marijuana-regime-is-bad-medicine-cma-head-warns-1.1964794#ixzz3B3fepNQ0 USA – Did smoking marijuana give these young men heart attacks? Marijuana smoking is becoming more prevalent,” said Dr. William Abraham, a cardiologist at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, “and this does give us an opportunity to better study and better understand what its health consequences are. As awareness grows, so does the information available on the potential dangers of marijuana smoking. In a larger study in France, published this year in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers identified 35 cases of cardiovascular complications, amounting to 1.8 percent of all serious side effects from cannabis use reported to a government database. Nine of the patients died. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/08/21/did-marijuana-smoking-give-these-young-men-heart-attacks/ USA – The Risks of Smoking Pot While Breastfeeding It’s true that few studies have looked at the risks of smoking marijuana while breast-feeding. However, several organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, discourage the use of marijuana by breast-feeding mothers, in part because of concern that the drug may affect the baby’s brain development. What is clear is that the drug can get into breast milk, and into the baby’s body. The active ingredient in marijuana, THC, is fat soluble and can be stored in the fat tissue for quite a while. Any drug that is fat soluble gets into fat [tissue], and breast milk has lots of fat because that’s what’s good for the baby,” said Dr. David Mendez, a neonatologist at Miami Children’s Hospital. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/18/smoking-pot-while-breastfeeding_n_5688853.html Uruguay – people can grow their own pot People in Uruguay who want to grow their own marijuana at home were able to register to do so on Wednesday as the government launched the latest phase in its first-of-its-kind legalisation program. Under a law that went into effect in May, citizens of Uruguay or legal residents who are at least 18 can grow marijuana for personal use if they register. There is a limit of six female plants, with an annual harvest of up to 480g. Uruguay is the first in the world to attempt to regulate the cultivation and sale of marijuana on a nationwide scale. http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/uruguay-s-people-can-grow-their-own-pot-1.1742390#.U_83QdKSzmU <Back to Top> Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International]]>

Abortion USA – Texas abortions down 13{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} due to new law, study says Alternative Medicine No news today Euthanasia Australia – Nitschke suspended from medical register Lithuania – Euthanasia could be option for poor, says health minister HIV/AIDS No news today Homosexuality UN – Human Rights Council Passes Resolution to “Protect the Family USA – All homosexuals should take ARV drugs USA – States against Bills That Seek to Ban Conversion Therapy UK – Stonewall chief targets under-fives IVF & Surrogacy Thailand – Crackdown on surrogacy Medical Ethics USA – Have some American homeless become lab rats? USA – Botched execution sparks outcry Pedophilia UK – ‘Pedophilia is natural and normal for males’ USA – Google ‘reveals user’ over G-mail child abuse images Pornography USA – Planned Parenthood Promoting X-Rated Advice to Underage Girls Prostitution &Trafficking Philippines – Legal prostitution won’t stop HIV, says prostitute Stem Cells & Cloning No news today Substance Abuse USA – Cannabis dependence alters brain’s response to drug paraphernalia USA – Welfare Cash for Weed in Colorado USA – FDA to Consumers: Avoid Powdered Caffeine USA – Synthetic marijuana blamed for sickening 15 over 4 days in NYC   Abortion   USA – Texas abortions down 13{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} due to new law, study says Texas abortion facilities will perform nearly 10,000 fewer procedures this year, according to a new study attributing the 13 percent drop to the state’s adoption of some of the tightest abortion restrictions in the country. State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano said “We are reassured and encouraged to hear that 9,200 lives annually are being saved as a result of House Bill 2.” The legislation, which sparked a fierce debate and nationally watched filibuster, banned most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, restricted medical abortions using pills and required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, among other provisions. http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/article/Study-Abortion-rate-falls-under-new-Texas-law-5642369.php   Alternative Medicine No news today Euthanasia Australia – Nitschke suspended from medical register The Medical Board of Australia has decided to suspend Nitschke after he admitted to supporting Nigel Brayley in his decision to commit suicide, despite not being terminally ill. The board said that Nitschke “presented a serious risk to the health and safety of the public”. Nitschke called the decision “political“ and “a dirty little midnight assassination“ aimed at silencing him.  He has vowed to fight the suspension. Beyond Blue spokesperson Jeff Kennett welcomed the decision, saying, “We cannot allow the debate to start that it’s alright for a 16-year-old, or a 45-year-old, simply because they’re having an off day, to attempt to take their own life. It is not acceptable.” http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11066 Lithuania – Health minister: Euthanasia could be option for poor The health minister of Lithuania without making any specific proposals told local media that Lithuania was not a welfare state with palliative care available for all, especially the poor, and that euthanasia might be an option for people who did not want to torment relatives with the spectacle of their suffering. The minister has also raised the idea of euthanasia for children. Dr Andrius Narbekovas, who is both a priest and a doctor, and a member of the Health Ministry’s bioethics commission, told the media: “The Ministry of Health should protect health and life, instead of looking for ways to take life away.” http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11071 HIV/AIDS & STI’s No news today <Back to Top> Homosexuality UN – Human Rights Council Passes Resolution to “Protect the Family The Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on “Protection of the Family” with a traditional definition of the family last Thursday. It recognizes the importance of the family for society and individuals, and that countries must strengthen and protect the family. The resolution not only echoes language from the U.N.’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights about the family as the “natural and fundamental unit of society,” it also states that the family is the “natural environment” for the education and development of children. The resolution passed by a comfortable margin, with 26 votes for, 14 against, and 6 abstentions. It was greeted by thunderous applause. http://c-fam.org/en/issues/un-organizations/7900-u-n-resolution-on-the-family-dampens-gay-pride-festivities USA – All homosexuals should take ARV drugs “Rates of HIV infection among men who have sex with men remain high almost everywhere and new prevention options are urgently needed,” said the World Health Organization (WHO). The likelihood of a homosexual who will become infected is approximately 19 times greater than the general population, the agency reported. Female sex workers, WHO estimates, are 14 times more likely to have HIV than other women. So now, for the first time, the WHO is strongly recommending that men who have sex with other men consider antiretroviral medications to help prevent HIV infection. The approach, called pre-exposure prophylaxis, calls for the no inflected to take a preventive pill every day. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/14/citing-exploding-hiv-epidemic-who-says-for-first-time-all-gay-men-should-take-antitretroviral-drugs/ USA – States against Bills That Seek to Ban Conversion Therapy While two states have successfully banned conversion therapy for homosexual youth, a majority of state legislatures have voted down bills that would implement such bans after hearing the testimonies of ex-gays who say they’ve benefited from sexual orientation change therapy.  Proposed bans similar to California’s and New Jersey’s laws prohibiting sexual orientation change therapy, or Sexual orientation change efforts for minors have been voted down or withdrawn in Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Washington, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, Hawaii and Rhode Island. http://www.christianpost.com/news/majority-of-states-are-blocking-bills-that-seek-to-ban-conversion-therapy-for-gay-youth-123953/ UK – Stonewall chief targets under-fives The new chief executive of LGBT activist group, Stonewall, has called for preschool children to be taught to “celebrate” being gay as part of a proposed Government-funded campaign to tackle ‘homophobia’ in schools. Ruth Hunt said she wanted Stonewall to commission a series of books “celebrating difference in all its forms” to encourage under-fives to “think about different families”, including same-sex households. Ms Hunt said that the proposed initiative had the backing of the new Equalities Minister and Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, who last year voted against the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act. http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/education/new-stonewall-chief-plans-to-target-under-fives-with-gay-propaganda IVF &Surrogacy Thailand – Crackdown on surrogacy An Australian couple who commissioned a surrogate mother abandoned a Down syndrome twin and left him with his impoverished mother. The story of 21-year-old Pattharamon Janbua, who is married with 2 children, emerged as the couple asked her to abort the Down syndrome boy, but she refused. This is “an incredibly sad story,” said Prime Minister Tony Abbott. “I guess it illustrates some of the pitfalls involved in this particular business.” The Thai government plans to ban commercial surrogacy. From now on, the intended parents have to be married, heterosexual and medically infertile, the transaction must be altruistic, and the surrogate must be related to the intended parents. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11083 Medical Ethics USA – Have some American homeless become lab rats? An article written by bioethicist Carl Elliott, “The Best-Selling, Billion-Dollar Pills Tested on Homeless People: How the destitute and the mentally ill are being used as human lab rats” says it all. Elliott investigates in Philadelphia, with a large homeless population, medical schools and pharma companies. He says companies run clinical trials, even for dangerous drugs, cheaper and faster than universities. The companies pay participants and for the destitute and mentally ill, it is money for jam. He writes: “None of the bioethicists or review board managers I spoke to were willing to publicly defend paying mentally ill homeless subjects to take part in clinical trials, although most did not seem especially surprised to hear that the practice was occurring. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11082 USA – Botched execution sparks outcry Joseph Rudolph Wood took almost two hours to die after being injected with midazolam and hydromorphone, a new barbiturate combination being trialled in some US states. “I counted 660 times that he gasped,” said  journalist Michael Kiefer. Shortly after the execution, Arizona governor Jan Brewer issued a statement in which she ordered a full review of the execution process. She was nevertheless adamant that the execution had been lawful and did not involve undue pain. “What happened today to Mr. Wood was an experiment that the state did its best to hide,” Arizona  ACLU Director Alessandra Soler said. The new drugs being used are intended to replace others that pharmaceutical companies now refuse to sell to US correctional facilities. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11067  Pedophilia UK – ‘Pedophilia is natural and normal for males’ The statement that pedophilia is “natural and normal” was made not three decades ago but last July. It was made not in private but as one of the central claims of an academic presentation delivered to many of the key experts in the field at a conference held by the University of Cambridge. The Cambridge University conference, on July last year, was about the classification of sexuality in the DSM. Other presentations included “Liberating the pedophile: a discursive analysis,” and “Danger and difference: the stakes of hebephilia. Unnoticed amid the furore is a much more current threat: attempts, right now, in parts of the academic establishment to push the boundaries on the acceptability of child sex. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/10948796/Paedophilia-is-natural-and-normal-for-males.html USA – Google ‘reveals user’ over G-mail child abuse images Google has revealed the identity of a user after discovering child abuse imagery in the man’s G-mail account. David Drummond, the chief legal officer for Google, has previously said while” there is no simple technology fix “to eradicating images of child abuse online the company is “committed to do everything possible to stop the distribution of this awful content.” http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28639628 Pornography USA – Planned Parenthood Promoting X-Rated Advice to Underage Girls Another Planned Parenthood clinic has been caught on camera providing X-rated advice to underage girls. Some girls like being “spanked,” “hit,” or “whipped,” said the counsellor. Other instructions ranged from encouraging the minor to read “Kama Sutra” books to watching “educational pornos” online. This is not the stuff of sex education, but rather a disturbing ideology consciously being pushed on our nation’s youth. The Daily Signal previously reported on Planned Parenthood staffers promoting controversial sexual behaviors to minors in Denver, where one counsellor suggested a 15-year-old girl read the erotic novel “Fifty Shades of Grey” and search online “to see kind of how they execute it.” http://www.teaparty.org/another-planned-parenthood-caught-promoting-x-rated-advice-underage-girls-48824/ Prostitution & Trafficking Philippines – Legal prostitution won’t stop HIV, says prostitute Carla Soledad said she is not happy being a prostitute. At the convention of HIV-AIDS experts this week, women were placed in the spotlight after some sectors pushed for the legalization of prostitution as a prescription to stop the spread of HIV. According to Carla she doesn’t know about legalizing prostitution as a way to protect them because they are not supposed to be there in the first place, “Legalizing prostitution is not the solution to decreasing the infection. Are we sending the message to the future generation that selling your body for sex is a viable job? Legalizing prostitution is not the answer.” http://www.ucanews.com/news/legal-prostitution-wont-stop-hiv-says-philippines-sex-worker/71514 Stem Cells & Cloning No news today Substance Abuse USA – Cannabis dependence alters the brain’s response to drug paraphernalia New research from The University of Texas at Dallas, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, demonstrated that different areas of the brain activated when dependent and non-dependent users were exposed to drug-related cues. To find this effect, Dr. Francesca Filbey and colleagues conducted brain-imaging scans, called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), on 71 participants who regularly used marijuana. While being scanned, the participants were given either a used marijuana pipe or a pencil of approximately the same size that they could see and feel. “We found that the reward network is actually being driven by other areas unrelated to reward, like the areas in memory and attention or emotion,” Filbey said. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140716090846.htm USA – Welfare Cash for Weed in Colorado For the past six months since legalized cannabis, welfare beneficiaries in Colorado have withdrawn their cash benefits at cannabis (marijuana) retailers and dispensaries at least 259 times, according to a new analysis by National Review Online (NRO). These beneficiaries used their electronic-benefit transfer (EBT) cards to access public assistance, withdrawing a total of $23,608.53 in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash, NRO’s examination found. These withdrawals are only a fraction of the more than 500,000 total EBT transactions that have occurred since recreational weed became legal in Colorado. But one wonders how much of that welfare money was also used to buy pot. In 2012, Colorado alone used $124 million in TANF money from the federal government. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/383334/welfare-cash-weed-colorado-jillian-kay-melchior USA – FDA to Consumers: Avoid Powdered Caffeine The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning, suggesting that Americans avoid powdered caffeine. The decision was likely triggered by the death of an 18-year-old Logan Steiner, who accidentally overdosed on the powdered version of the stimulant this May. The FDA is particularly concerned about bulk bags of powdered caffeine being sold over the internet. The product is essentially 100 percent caffeine, with one teaspoon of the substance roughly equivalent to the amount of caffeine in 25 cups of coffee. Even very small amounts can cause an overdose. http://www.fda.gov/food/recallsoutbreaksemergencies/safetyalertsadvisories/ucm405787.htm USA – Synthetic marijuana blamed for sickening 15 over 4 days in NYC Synthetic cannabis is getting New Yorkers dangerously high and making them gravely ill, with more than a dozen people hospitalized in the past few days after smoking the imitation pot, city officials said. The marijuana-like substance has left 15 people with “severe adverse effects” since Thursday, causing reactions including seizures and hallucinations, according to the NYC’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.“K2, Spice, Green Giant — no matter what you call it, synthetic cannabinoids are dangerous and illegal,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett. http://nypost.com/2014/07/27/fake-marijuana-blamed-for-sickening-15-over-4-days-in-yc Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International]]>

LIFEalerts 31 July 2014

Abortion	UK – Half of Down syndrome abortions missing from registerIreland – Baby Megan survived a miscarriage and an abortion
Alternative Medicine	No news today
Euthanasia	Scotland – Rights groups back right to die for childrenUK – Doctors strike back at BMJ editors over assisted suicide stance Netherlands – We were wrong: former regulator of Dutch euthanasia
HIV/AIDS	No news today
Homosexuality	Paraguay – Nations reject same-sex unionsIreland – Legal committee votes against homosexual marriage Jamaica – Leave homosexuality out of sex education curriculum Singapore – Homosexual penguin book removed from libraries
IVF & Surrogacy	Thailand – Couples flock to Thailand for sex selective IVF
Medical Ethics	USA – Inducing death to give life – without patient consentUSA – Virginia’s compulsory vasectomy UK – What are the issues in post-mortem sperm retrieval? Australia – Can patients enjoy a life of disability?
Pedophilia	UK – Dark net ‘used by tens of thousands of pedophiles’
Pornography	UK – Pornography Fuels Addictive Patterns in the Brains of Sex Addicts
Prostitution &Trafficking	UK – UN warns Britain over child voodoo, sex tourists
Stem Cells & Cloning	Portugal – Nasal growth on woman’s back after treatment
Substance Abuse	USA – Black Market Weed Rampant USA – Suboxone being sold on streets UK – Decriminalizing cannabis is ‘misguided’ says UN watchdog UK – Synthetic cannabis ‘not medicinal’, EU top court says

  Abortion UK – Half of Down syndrome abortions missing from register An investigation by the independent National Down’s Syndrome Cytogenetic Register (NDCR), an organisation notified of any Down’s Syndrome diagnoses, has revealed that half of these abortions go unrecorded. They found that out of 994 terminations, only 496 were properly recorded. Out of the 498 missing cases, around 50 had been recorded but alternative reasons given. Fiona Bruce, chairman of the independent parliamentary inquiry into abortion for disability, said it was clear doctors had broken the law: “We now know that nearly half of abortions for Down’s Syndrome were incorrectly recorded. How many doctors were referred for investigation? None.” The Department of Health said they were working with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to tighten up the system. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11012 Ireland – Baby survives a miscarriage and an abortion Megan’s mother Michelle was bleeding heavily on her way to the Hospital who confirmed she lost the baby. The devastated mother was prescribed two abortion pills to ensure nothing was left in her uterus that could cause infection. But ten days after the miscarriage, as Michelle was preparing for a final treatment to clear her uterus, medical staffers identified a heartbeat on a scan. She had been pregnant with twins, and one of them had incredibly survived both the miscarriage and abortion. Doctors had missed the second baby on the scans. Megan was born perfectly healthy. The doctor said that in all his 25 years he’d never come across another case like this. http://www.mamamia.com.au/news/baby-survives-miscarriage-and-abortion Alternative Medicine No news today <Back to Top> Euthanasia Scotland – Rights groups back right to die for children Only weeks after taking their cue from Belgium, the Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights is looking into voluntary euthanasia for youngsters with terminal illnesses. They argue that children have the same rights as adults. Scotland would be in breach of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the child if it denied children with sufficient maturity the right to die. A spokesman for Care Not Killing told the media: “Right-minded people will be baffled that such an idea can be advanced, not least from one organisation purporting to represent the interests of children. Such a monstrous idea should be unthinkable.” http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11023 UK – Doctors strike back at BMJ editors over assisted suicide stance The British Medical Journal (BMJ) is editorially independent from the British Medical Association (BMA) but is paid for by the subscriptions of BMA members, most of whom do not support changing the law. They say that the BMJ editors Fiona Godlee and Tony Delamothe are long-time supporters of decriminalizing assisted suicide and have frequently used their editorial position in Britain’s most widely read medical journal to advance their cause. “While autonomy is important it has to be balanced against other principles including public safety. “None of us believes autonomy is absolute, if we did we would have to say that there was no place for law because every single law restricts personal autonomy.” Godlee and Delemothe appear not to understand that autonomy has limits. They are also well out of step with medical opinion and do not speak for the medical profession. http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2014/07/doctors-strike-back-at-bmj-editors-over-assisted-suicide-stance/#.U793mNGrl8E Netherlands – We were wrong: former regulator of Dutch euthanasia Theo Boer is professor of ethics at the Protestant Theological University at Groningen. For nine years, he was a Member of a Regional Review Committee. For the Dutch Government. I used to be a supporter of legislation. But now, with 12 years of experience, I take a different view. At the very least, wait for an honest and intellectually satisfying analysis of the reasons behind the explosive increase in the numbers. Is it because the law should have had better safeguards? Or is it because the mere existence of such a law is an invitation to see assisted suicide and euthanasia as normality instead of a last resort? Before those questions are answered, don’t go there. Once the genie is out of the bottle, it is not likely to ever go back in again. http://www.mercatornet.com/careful/view/14424 <Back to Top> HIV/AIDS & STI’s No news today <Back to Top> Homosexuality Paraguay – Nations reject same-sex unions Many Latin American countries rejected recommendations to approve same-sex unions during the Organization of American States General Assembly held in Paraguay. The debate began after Brazil presented a proposition calling all member states to “avoid interference in the private life” of “homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals.” Over 47,000 people signed a petition on CitizenGo asking the Organization of American States (OAS) to “defend the dignity of Latin America in presence of the imposition from feminist and homosexual pressure groups.” Several local media outlets expressed concern that homosexual issues raised more attention than human rights violations happening in Cuba and Venezuela. http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/latin-american-nations-reject-gay-agenda-at-international-assembly Ireland – Legal committee votes against homosexual marriage In Finland, attempts to redefine marriage have been defeated by an outright majority three times. The legal affairs committee rejected the same-sex marriage Bill by 10 votes to 6, compared to a 9-8 vote by the same committee in March 2013. Callum Webster, a spokesman for The Christian Institute, commented: “The people of Northern Ireland are clearly opposed to redefining marriage and it’s only the political elite who are trying to force the change on the Province.” http://www.christian.org.uk/news/redefining-marriage-rejected-in-finland-for-second-time/ Jamaica – Leave homosexuality out of sex education curriculum Of 10,400 respondents to a recent Observer Online poll an overwhelming 88 per cent feel that homosexual activities should not be included in sex education programs for schools. The poll results come after revelations that human rights group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) implemented in six privately-run institutions for children, a sex education program – ‘Healthy Sexual Growth and Development in Marginalized Youth: Rights, Responsibilities and Life Skills’ – which contained age inappropriate content. In the program, controversial issues surrounding anal penetration and same sex unions were explored. The program sparked a negative response from Youth Minister Lisa Hanna, as her ministry and the Child Development Agency (CDA) said that they were unaware of the program and its content until after its implementation. http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/ONLINE-POLL–Leave-homosexuality-out-of-sex-education-curriculum Singapore – Homosexual penguin book removed from libraries Singapore authorities have withdrawn from libraries two children’s books featuring same-sex couples, sparking controversy amid a debate on gay rights in the conservative city-state. Gay sex is illegal in Singapore, and a recent gay rally drew an unprecedented backlash from religious groups. The two books were removed earlier this week after a library user wrote into the National Library Board expressing concern about the books’ content. It has been the subject of intense controversy in the United States, and has consistently made it to the American Library Association’s list of books which receive the most number of removal requests. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-28243356 <Back to Top> IVF &Surrogacy Thailand – Couples flock to Thailand for sex selective IVF Thailand has become the top tourist destination for women seeking gender selective IVF. Hundreds of women from China and Hong Kong travel to Thailand each year, and that number is set to increase. Alfred Siu Wing-fung – just one of a number of Hong Kong health tourism agents – sells ‘gender selection IVF packages’ to about 200 Chinese couples a year and he estimates that about 10,000 gender selection cycles were carried out in Bangkok last year, at an average cost of $15,000 per treatment. The Medical Council of Thailand is campaigning to have the practice banned but in light of recent political instability, the legislative change remains low on the government’s list of priorities. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11057 <Back to Top> Medical Ethics USA – Inducing death to give life – without patient consent A new emergency procedure trialed in the US has bioethicists nervous. Emergency Preservation and Resuscitation involves replacing a trauma patient’s blood with freezing saltwater that stops the heart and lowers body temperature to 10 degrees Celsius. At this temperature doctors have one to two hours to operate before brain damage occurs. The procedure stops rapid blood loss and dramatically slows the onset of brain damage. At normal body temperatures, surgeons typically have less than five minutes to restore blood flow before brain damage occurs. Doctors – not patients will decide whether the procedure will be performed. Some ethicists have expressed reservations about the lack of informed consent although but they recognize the difficulties of obtaining such patient approval. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11011 USA – Virginia’s compulsory vasectomy A petty criminal has been sentenced to 20 months and 5 years probation for driving violations – and a vasectomy. But it was for none of these that prosecutor Ilona White imposed the condition. “It was primarily due to the fact he had seven or eight children, all by different women, and we felt it might be in the commonwealth’s interest for that to be part of the plea agreement,” she explained. The sentence has been called “temporary negative eugenics” and “reproductive coercion”. In 2002, Virginia Governor Mark Warner publicly apologized for the state’s past involvement in eugenics. After nearly a century, perhaps the commonwealth of Virginia has come full circle in its attitude toward eugenics. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11026 UK – What are the issues in post-mortem sperm retrieval? Niklas Evans was assaulted, ended up in a coma and died after 10 days. His mother requested retrieval of her 21-year-old son’s sperm to create a grandchild with a surrogate. Did she and her doctors act ethically in removing sperm from his body without consent? Anna Smajdor, of  East Anglia University, tackles this question in the Journal of Medical Ethics. She writes:  If the person testifying as to the patient’s wishes and providing proxy consent is also the one who stands to gain from the tissue that is made available, there is a clear conflict of interest. She recommends the discretionary authority of the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, be rescinded so it cannot permit exporting gametes obtained without consent. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11042 Australia – Can patients enjoy a life of disability? Severe head injuries sometimes require a life-saving procedure called “decompressive craniectomy” where a piece of the skull is removed to allow swelling in the brain to subside. The problem with this is that patients often survive with severe disabilities. However such patients are in no position to give consent to a decompressive craniectomy. Would they give retrospective consent? In other words, are they happy that doctors save their life, even if it unfolds as a life of disability? A team of researchers in Perth interviewed 20 patients who had survived for at least 3 years with an unfavorable outcome and published their results in the Journal of Medical Ethics. Although there were difficulties in getting responses from some of the patients, surprisingly, a majority of them were happy that the operation had been performed and saved their lives. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11035 <Back to Top> Pedophilia UK – Dark net ‘used by tens of thousands of pedophiles’ Pedophiles are using the so-called dark net to trade images of sexual abuse, an investigation by BBC News indicates. The dark net is the term used to refer to parts of the internet that are hidden and can be hard to access without special software. These sites cannot be found using Google or other regular search engines. The threat posed by these kinds of sites has been recognized by governments around the world. But IT experts are divided as to whether it’s possible to create a workable “backdoor” which would allow users to be identified. Several countries’ police forces are working together, under the banner of The Virtual Global Taskforce, to tackle online child exploitation worldwide. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27885502   <Back to Top> Pornography UK – Pornography Fuels Addictive Patterns in the Brains of Sex Addicts A recent study from the University of Cambridge found that pornography can fuel activity in the brain that’s linked to drug addiction among sex addicts. Study findings revealed that three brain regions were significantly more active in people with compulsive sexual behavior when they had been exposed to pornography. According to researcher Dr. Valerie Voon, “In many ways, they show similarities in their behavior to patients with drug addictions. We wanted to see if these similarities were reflected in brain activity, too. There are clear differences in brain activity between patients who have compulsive sexual behavior and healthy volunteers. These differences mirror those of drug addicts,” added Voon. “Our research does not necessarily provide evidence that these individuals are addicted to porn – or that porn is inherently addictive. Much more research is required to understand this relationship between compulsive sexual behavior and drug addiction.” More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal PLOS One. http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/15986/20140712/pornography-fuels-addictive-patterns-in-the-brains-of-sex-addicts.htm <Back to Top> Prostitution & Trafficking UK – UN warns Britain over child voodoo, sex tourists According to a UN watchdog Hundreds of children are believed to have been kidnapped in Africa and brought to Britain for brutal voodoo rituals, urging London to do more to combat the scourge. They are used in so-called voodoo rituals, and are also raped and sexually abused. Child trafficking for rituals was part of a wider problem, with thousands of minors brought into Britain every year for sexual exploitation and labor. Meanwhile a national group led by the Home Office interior ministry will look at how the police and other agencies can better identify and combat sexual offending. http://www.news24.com/World/News/UN-warns-Britain-over-child-voodoo-sex-tourists-20140620 <Back to Top> Stem Cells & Cloning Portugal – Nasal growth on woman’s back after treatment An experimental stem cell trial has resulted in a woman developing a nasal growth on her back. In 2006 the woman attended a hospital where tissue containing olfactory stem cells were taken from her nose and implanted in her spine. The hope was that these cells would develop into neural cells and help repair nerve damage in her spine. Eight years later she had a spinal growth removed which was composed of “mostly of cysts lined by respiratory epithelium, sub mucosal glands with goblet cells, and intervening nerve twigs”. The case shows that experimental stem-cell treatment remains risky even when carried out in respectable hospitals. The findings of the investigation were published in the Journal of Neurosurgery. http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/11059 <Back to Top> Substance Abuse USA – Black Market Weed Rampant Black market marijuana, which many expected to disappear after the substance was legalized, is thriving. It is grown on public land owned by the federal government in the state. Worse it is controlled by Drug Trafficking Organizations. According to the latest information from the U.S. Forest Service marijuana production is booming. The facts are alarming. “By legalizing marijuana in Colorado, we have become the black market for about 40 other states that we can document,” said Tom Gorman, director of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. “So instead of eliminating it we have become it. We are also the black market for those under twenty-one.” http://www.mainstreet.com/article/money/investing/black-market-weed-rampant-colorado-public-land?page=1 <Back to Top> USA – Suboxone being sold on streets Suboxone, a popular and highly touted medicine designed to get people off opioids such is increasingly being abused, sold on the streets and inappropriately prescribed, according to doctors and drug control and law enforcement officials. The drug combines buprenorphine, an opioid, and naloxone, which counters the effects of an overdose. Prescriptions for Suboxone and its generic equivalent rose 63 percent in Kentucky between the first quarter of 2012 and the first quarter of this year, to 113,713 from 69,640. Fourteen percent, or 45, of the 330 Kentucky physicians authorized to prescribe buprenorphine “have a history of discipline by the medical board.” http://www.wdrb.com/story/25959578/life-saving-drug-comes-with-warning-concerns UK – Decriminalizing cannabis is ‘misguided’ says UN watchdog Decriminalizing cannabis is a “misguided” initiative and risks people’s long-term health, a UN drugs watchdog has warned. The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), a body monitoring drug treaties criticised moves to weaken drug laws around the world in its annual report. Raymond Yans, the President of the INCB, said: “Drug traffickers will choose the path of least resistance, so it is essential that global efforts to tackle the drug problem are unified.” The INCB’s annual report warned that Colorado’s policy change to allow the commercial sale of cannabis for medical reasons had led to more car accidents involving “drug drivers”. It also noted an increase in adolescent cannabis-related hospital admissions. http://www.christian.org.uk/news/decriminalising-cannabis-is-misguided-says-un-watchdog/ UK – Synthetic cannabis ‘not medicinal’, EU top court says The European Court of Justice (ECJ), the European Union’s top court says designer drugs that mimic cannabis, which are already illegal in many countries, cannot be classed as medicinal. The court says the term “medicinal product” cannot apply to “substances which simply have the effect of modifying physiological functions but are not such as to have any immediate or long-term beneficial effects on human health”. The case arose because two German vendors of synthetic unregulated drugs were convicted for selling unsafe medicinal products. The EJC was asked by Germany’s Federal Court to clarify the classification of such drugs. The case now goes back to the German courts. ECJ rulings are binding across the European Union. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28243083 Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International]]>