The Florida Senate passed a Protection of Children bill, which targets venues with a liquor license that allows children to be present during an “adult performance” where sexually explicit acts have occurred. Democrats argued that the bill specifically targeted drag shows and the LGBT community, and it would lead to violence and curtail freedom of expression. The bill is still going through the committee process in the House of Representatives, but Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign it into law after conducting an investigation into drag shows where children were present and exposed to sexually explicit acts.
LIFEAlerts
Request for listing as “neutral sex” has been turned down (France)
In the question of whether it should be allowed to add other sexes than male and female on civil documents, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) states that it is important to preserve the consistency and security of civil status records, keeping the status either male or female. A request from an intersex person to change the official gender to “neutral sex” was turned down. The European Court of Human Rights supports France in their decision to keep the sexes binary and also said that each country should decide how it wants to handle the issue of gender on birth certificates.
Bill passed to ban transgender health care for minors (USA)
In the afternoon of Thursday, the bill was able to secure a 15-6 vote in favour during the House committee session, causing visible outrage among many. It was promptly forwarded to the full House for further deliberation and underwent several hours of debate before eventually receiving approval and being returned to the Senate for concurrence.
Here’s what the amended version of the bill includes:
- School districts must create explicit bathroom policies
- Bans gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 18, including surgical and non-surgical procedures like puberty blockers
- Schools can’t discuss sexual orientation or gender identity with students regardless of age
- If healthcare providers provide gender-affirming care to minors their licenses will be revoked
- The school district would notify parents of any mental health services relating to human sexuality
The audacity to live (Belgium)
Claire Dirks has a genetic neurodegenerative disease. Two years ago, her father, suffering from the same disease, chose euthanasia. In a webinar, Claire testifies about the impact of euthanasia on relatives. She describes her successive shocks: the announcement of her father’s choice, the speed of the procedure (1 month), the procedure itself (her father had 3 interviews with a psychologist via skype). Claire understands there are caregivers who defend life but deplores that very often the medical profession does not offer alternative options and at times even encourages the process. Euthanasia is not an alternative to suffering, which is part of life. Claire defends the audacity to live. Being ready to help and support remains a duty in our individualized society.
Tavistock gender clinic to close down (UK)
Established in 1989, Gender Identity Development Services of Tavistock Clinic had to close down in April 2022. Their services prescribed puberty blockers to more than 1000 children, many under 16 years of age, questioning their gender identity. A book written by Hannah Barnes, examines how the clinic shifted from examining distressed teenagers, using therapy to work out how best to help them, to becoming a conveyor belt to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and drastic surgery. The book is a cautionary tale about the dangers of institutions putting profit over patient welfare and the importance of collecting and scrutinizing evidence. It also exposes the nervousness of clinicians in speaking up, despite growing concerns about the clinic’s direction, and the wilful failure to safeguard the wellbeing of children seeking help.
Children can decide (USA)
A proposed bill in Oregon would allow children of any age to obtain abortion, contraception, sterilization, and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases without parental consent. Oregon HB 2002 defines “reproductive health care” to include family planning, contraception, pregnancy termination services, fertility care, sterilization services, treatments for sexually transmitted infections and reproductive cancers, and any other health care and medical services related to reproductive health. Children, 15 or older, can also consent to gender-affirming treatment, including facial feminization surgery, which would be paid for by the Oregon Health Authority. Parents of children under 15 may be notified, but such communication would not be required. This bill is considered a blatant cultural imperialism and may lead to secession movements in some conservative eastern counties of Oregon.
Survey on parents of children experiencing rapid-onset gender dysphoria (USA)
Rapid onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) is a controversial term used to describe a sudden and intense desire to transition gender during adolescence or young adulthood, without any prior history of gender dysphoria or other indicators of a gender identity issue. In the survey, the results show that many of the children had pre-existing mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and autism spectrum disorder. Parents felt pressurised by therapists and medical professionals to affirm their child’s gender dysphoria. The article highlights the controversy surrounding the concept of ROGD. The medical community should approach the treatment of gender dysphoria with caution and not rush to affirm a child’s gender identity without fully understanding the underlying cause of their dysphoria. The mental health of the child and the concerns of their parents need to be taken into account in further research.
World Medical Association Supports Conscientious Objection to Abortion and Assisted Suicide (UK)
The World Medical Association, an international confederation of medical associations representing physicians, has voiced its support for conscientious objection including in cases of abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide. The General Assembly of the Association has unanimously approved an addendum to its respected International Code of Medical Ethics. Its code now recognises the right to conscientious objection so long as the patient’s health is not endangered.
United States marijuana legalisation and opioid mortality epidemic during 2010–2020 and pandemic implications
According to the Journal of the National Medical Association opioid mortality trends in the United States, a world leader in both opioid mortality and cannabis use disorder, do not support the hypothesis that marijuana availability reduces opioid mortality. During the past decade, the country’s opioid mortality trends in marijuana legalising and non-legalising jurisdictions suggest the opposite. The United States opioid mortality rate was compared in states and District of Columbia that had implemented marijuana legalisation with states that had not. Instead of supporting the marijuana protection hypothesis, ecologic associations at the national level suggest that marijuana legalisation has contributed to the U.S.’s opioid epidemic.
Medicaid Data: Decision To Abort First Pregnancy Carries Lifetime Risks Of Adverse Events (USA)
Researchers analysing 17 years of comprehensive Medicaid claims data, in a first of its kind research from Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) found that women whose first pregnancy ended in abortion had on average :
- 53% more miscarriages than women whose pregnancy ended in live birth.
- 35% more pregnancies over their reproductive lifetime
- More than 4 times as many abortions
- Only half the number of live births
Separate peer reviewed research finds that women exposed to multiple induced abortions are at an increased risk of:
- Extremely preterm (premature) birth in future pregnancies based on an analysis of more than 400 000 pregnancies in Finland.
- Low birth weight in future pregnancies based on a review of 37 studies.
- Poor mental health, based on an analysis of data from the “National Longitudinal Study Of Adolescent To Adult Health”, finding that each abortion increased the risk of mental health problems by 23%.
- Premature death, based on an analysis of the pregnancy and mortality records of more than one million women, finding that the risk of death increased with each successive abortion.
Tessa Longbons, CLI’s senior research associate and co-author of the new peer reviewed study, said:
- A woman’s first pregnancy shapes the course of her life. That’s my key takeaway from 17 years of data.