LIFEAlerts

Senator pleads for change on child pornography language (Ireland)

Politician, Senator Eileen Flynn, introduced a bill to substitute the words “child pornography” with “child sexual exploitation material” in all legislation. She claims that this more accurately reflects the nature of the abuse. The phrase “child pornography” does not truly reflect the crime or abuse. She further states that language is powerful as it shapes and defines our understanding. It is not child pornography, it is child abuse.

Legislators have the privilege and the responsibility to look out for the most vulnerable and consider all the ways in which society can protect and help them.

Source

LIFEalerts – IVF & Surrogacy

IVF & Surrogacy

USA – Children born through IVF can now be US citizens

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced that a non-genetic, non-gestational legal parent of a child born through assisted reproductive technology (ART) outside of the United States may transmit U.S. citizenship to the child under certain circumstances. This is the latest in a line of complex policy changes that have started to recognize the realities of modern families and citizenship may now be transmitted it: the parent is married to the child’s genetic or gestational parent at the time of the child’s birth; and if the relevant jurisdiction recognizes both parents as the child’s legal parents. More

LIFEalerts – Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse

USA – New study: when teens use pot, drug addiction more likely to follow.

A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics shows Teens who try marijuana or other drugs are at greater risk of developing a drug addiction than those who wait a few years before experimenting with drugs. Co-lead author Dr Nora Volkow, director of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has said in a news release, “This study provides further evidence that delaying substance exposure until the brain is more fully developed may lower risk for developing a substance use disorder.” The study analysed data from the U.S. National Surveys on Drug Use and Health to assess the proportion of adolescents (aged 12 to 17) and young adults (aged 18 to 25) who had an addiction at various intervals since the first time they used or misused one of nine different drugs.

Rates of past-year cannabis use disorder were greater among teens than young adults at all the time points since first use of the drug. For example, within 12 months since first cannabis use, nearly 11% of adolescents had the disorder, compared with just over 6% of young adults. According to study co-author Emily Einstein, “Research has shown that brain development continues into a person’s 20s, and that age of drug initiation is a very important risk factor for developing addiction.” More

USA – Methamphetamine users more susceptible to have medical, mental, and substance use issues

A new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine shows people who use methamphetamine experienced a combination of medical, mental, and substance use issues, including all three simultaneously. The most common illnesses associated with methamphetamine use were liver disease (hepatitis or cirrhosis), lung disease (COPD or asthma), and HIV/AIDS. Methamphetamine is a commonly trafficked drug known for its illicit recreational usage, with few medical uses to treat obesity or attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) that remain rare due to concerns over neurotoxicity. It is a highly addictive and potent stimulant affecting the central nervous system, causing higher focus and energy levels when consumed at low concentrations but can induce psychosis, skeletal muscle breakdown, and brain bleeding at higher concentrations. More, Study.

Colorado – Using drugs, alcohol and tobacco at a young age increase premature heart problems

The numbers of young adults with heart disease (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease) have been increasing. A new study published in the journal Heart shows that drinking, smoking, and using drugs — even recreationally — is linked to premature heart disease in young people, especially women. Due to biology, women are more susceptible than men are. They add that young adults need to be educated about the long-term effects of substance use because many feel they are invincible. Using information from the 2014–2015 nationwide Veteran’s Affairs healthcare database and the Veterans with Premature Atherosclerosis (VITAL) registry, researchers looked at recreational use of tobacco, cannabis, alcohol, and drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines.

“We knew that substances like alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs played a role in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD), but we did not know that use had such profound effects in the development of premature ASCVD, particularly in women,” Dr. Robert Ochsner, chief medical officer of Colorado-based rehab facilities Sandstone Care, told Healthline. More, Study.

South Africa – Study: factors that influence drug use among youth in rural SA

Associate professor in the University of Missouri School of Health Professions grew up in a rural village in Zimbabwe seeing first-hand as a child the lack of educational opportunities that were easily accessible and how that impacted the youth in his village. Prof Wilson Majee found in a recent study that young people that a lack of educational opportunities, combined with other factors – such as a lack of motivation, absent adult role models and few recreational activities – compound to create feelings of hopelessness and despair in young people. These feelings can influence drug use and other risky behaviours. More, Study.

LIFEalerts – Pornography

Pornography

UK – No age checks is a dangerous weapon lying around

Members of Parliament are calling for tougher checks to protect children from the damaging effects of online pornography and a more robust approach to safeguarding children from harmful material on websites and social media platforms. Their concern is that incidents of self-harm and depression in young people, have all got worse. A poll conducted by Christian Action, Research, and Education (CARE) of more than 2,000 adults found that 80% were in favour of age verification access to porn sites. A report, published in the British Journal of Criminology, found 8,000 titles describing physical aggression or forced sex acts on the homepages of the three biggest porn sites – many of which were free to view with no age restrictions. British Journal of Criminology, Reporting article.

USA – Real Experience in The Porn Industry: A Panel Discussion (VIDEO)

The porn industry is often considered a champion of sexual expression, empowerment, and harmless entertainment in today’s culture, but that is not the experience of many on the other side of the screen. Survivors from the porn and commercial sex industries share what their real experiences were like, how they saw these industries foster exploitation, and why they eventually left. This panel discussion is hosted by Fight the New Drug, a non-religious and non-legislative organization that exists to provide individuals with the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding pornography by raising awareness on its harmful effects using only science, facts, and personal accounts. Panel Discussion

USA – School board to resign over sexually titillating writing assignments

The mayor of Hudson in Ohio is calling for the resignation of the entire Board of Education. Mayor Shubert stated that it has come to his attention that educators are distributing what is essentially child pornography in the classroom. The assignment that sparked the mayor’s strong reaction was a book titled “642 Things to Write About” that was given to seniors taking a college credit course at Hudson High School. The book contains prompts such as, “write a sermon for a beloved preacher who has been caught in a sex scandal,” “describe your favourite part of a man’s body using only verbs,” “choose how you will die,” and “write an X-rated Disney scenario. Other prompts asked students to “write a sex scene you wouldn’t show your mom.” The principal said the school is in the process of collecting the book from students. More

USA – Parents Group Demands Child Pornography Investigation

Though Netflix’s animated series, “Big Mouth,” bills itself as TV-MA and is ostensibly intended for adults, it features 12- and 13-year-old characters engaging in sex acts and includes animated nudity according to a parents group demanding Netflix be investigated over the show. A new report from the Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) argues that, despite being a cartoon, “Big Mouth’s” sexually explicit content is meant to depict minors and therefore qualifies as child pornography. The group is calling on law enforcement to investigate the distributor, Netflix. More

Ireland – New Sexual Offences Set To Become Law

Several new sexual offences, including up-skirting, down-blousing and adults masquerading as children online, are set to become law following the introduction of the second stage of legislation by Justice Minister, Naomi Long. Long said: “The Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill has the protection of victims at its heart. She is determined to do everything she can to ensure victims are heard and that they feel confident in the criminal justice system. Services for victims of trafficking and exploitation will also be enhanced as a result of this legislation. Other provisions within the Bill include the exclusion of the public from all serious sexual offence hearings and the introduction of anonymity for defendants. More

LIFEalerts – Alternative Medicine

Alternative Medicine

Northern Ireland – Ivermectin: seizures of unproven horse drug used for Covid

Thousands of tablets of a horse deworming drug promoted as an alternative Covid-19 treatment despite being unproven have been seized coming into Northern Ireland by the Medicines Regulatory Group (MRG). The MRG is part of the Department of Health. “There is currently a clinical trial with Ivermectin ongoing in the UK and results are awaited.”  In the United States, there have been reports of people becoming unwell having taken the drug. A spokeswoman for the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland said it had not been alerted to the misuse of Ivermectin as an issue. Responsibility for approval of prescription drugs in the UK comes from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). DFL welcomes new studies on this topic. More

LIFEalerts – Paedophilia

Paedophilia

Russian father who killed ‘paedophile’ friend should not face murder charge, say locals

A father detained for ‘killing a paedophile’ who ‘raped’ his daughter aged just eight years old should not face a murder charge, insist Russians in a groundswell of support. Alleged child sex attacker Oleg Sviridov, 32, kept mobile phone videos of his abuse of several children in Vintai village in the Russia‘s Samara region, according to law enforcement officials. Rocket engine factory worker Vyacheslav M, 34, was drinking with his friend Sviridov, when he saw footage on the man’s phone showing him raping Vyacheslav’s daughter, now nine. The father immediately confronted Sviridov, who ran away before Vyacheslav could act. The paedophile was a close friend of Vyacheslav’s family and had baby-sat his daughter whom he sexually abused on multiple occasions. More

South Africa – Don’t post pictures of your kids online

Murray Hunter, digital rights activist and author of Boris the BabyBot, a children’s book about data privacy and surveillance says it’s important to set boundaries. In the book, Hunter shows that surveillance is an invisible risk. Too often it’s difficult for us to understand our privacy and the value of our data until it is too late. Apart from real world dangers like paedophillia and kidnapping, there are also other dangers like data collection. Allowing access to the images of children feeds into nefarious online strategies like consumer manipulation, electoral manipulation, racial profiling and political repression. So the best thing is to remember to be cautious, understand your reasons for posting, get consent from your children and be as safe as possible. More

LIFEalerts – Euthanasia

Euthanasia

Australia – Fatally Flawed Experiments in 21 countries with euthanasia

A booklet of 100 pages titled: “Fatally flawed Experiments in Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia” documents the failure of euthanasia laws in 21 countries/states around the world. Euthanasia laws, once legalised, quickly moved goal posts that went from unbearable suffering to include depression, mental illness, symptoms associated with old age that were not fatal, child euthanasia, suicidal ideation, prisoners and mental health detainees, Disabilities, victims of sexual abuse, non-terminal conditions, and psychiatric disorders. Studies also cited how doctors and nurses often deliberately hastened death of a patient without explicit consent or request from the patient for euthanasia. Among the 21 listed countries are Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Germany, Spain and Western Australia. More, Fatally Flawed Experiments in Euthanasia.

USA – Organ Donation Euthanasia: the healthy can now die to donate

When organ transplant medicine began, the “dead donor rule” was instituted to assure a wary public that people’s vital organs would only be procured after the person was dead. A corollary to that rule assures the public that people will not be killed for their body parts. Many bioethicists are now pushing to allow doctors to kill via organ harvest, sometimes called “organ donation euthanasia” (ODE).

At first, this proposal was limited to patients on the verge of death or the permanently unconscious. Now, a prominent bioethics journal has published a piece urging that healthy people be allowed to die by removal of vital organs. The author claims that because people can instruct life-sustaining treatment to be withdrawn (LST), and can donate their organs after death, that ODE is also OK because it will result in death, too, and result in more usable organs procured and more lives saved.

Proponents of ODE argue that if the patient consents, it would be permissible to procure the patient’s organs before death. This will of course mean that the patient will die from donating his or her vital organs instead of dying from having his or her treatment withdrawn. However, this seems ethically immaterial in this situation since the outcome for the patient will be the same.

But that’s not true. Not everyone dies after having life-sustaining treatment withdrawn. Indeed, under current organ-donation protocols, if the patient doesn’t die, he is taken back to the ward and usually disqualified as an organ donor thereafter. If this does not constitute a slippery slope then people live in a state of denial or ignorance, wherever euthanasia is legalized it always morphed into something else. “If we can do this, then why not do that also?” More

USA – California seeks to expand euthanasia

The California assisted death lobby is supporting a court case to expand assisted suicide to euthanasia in California. 

Legally, assisted suicide is a form of suicide where the law requires a person to “self-administer” a lethal drug cocktail with the assistance of a “medical professional” while euthanasia is a form of homicide whereby the “medical professional” lethally injects the person with a lethal drug cocktail. In the past few years the American assisted death lobby has pushed the limits of state assisted suicide laws.

In 2019, Oregon eliminated the 15 day waiting period for assisted suicide and currently California is debating assisted suicide expansion bill SB 380 which, among other things, eliminates the requirement of a formal examination of the law. The New Mexico assisted suicide law only requires a 48 hour waiting period, that can be waived, and it redefined who could approve assisted suicide to include nurses. More

Australia – Politicians aren’t listening to logical, evidence-based arguments.

Five out of Australia’s six states have lawful assisted suicide and euthanasia: Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia and recently Queensland joined. The new law has three serious flaws. First, health practitioners are permitted to initiate a discussion of “assisted dying” with patients. Second, doctors who have a conscientious objection to “assisted dying” are obliged to refer to a compliant doctor. And third, healthcare facilities must permit “assisted dying” on their premises, even if it violates their “institutional conscience”. These concerns were raised in the amendments and all of them were voted down. Opposition to euthanasia is not just religious; there are countless reasons to oppose it on medical, legal, and social grounds. More

LIFEalerts – LGBTQ+ Issues

LGBTQ+ Issues

Poland – Regional Council votes to remain LGBT-free zone

The Polish regional council has recently voted to remain a zone, which bans the promotion of homosexuality and other minority sexual identities, especially in schools. Poland’s conservative communities said it’s not that they have anything against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, they can live as they choose, they simply do not want to participate or be forced to accept what they do not agree with especially when it comes to children. As a result, the European Commission threatens to withdraw more than €2.5 billion of EU funds unless it revokes the declaration but Poland stands firm and rejected proposals to revoke their declaration. Poland denies being discriminatory towards LGBT persons and said, they are misunderstood. More

USA – Teachers sue Virginia State over transgender pronouns

Three teachers are challenging a school district policy forcing all teachers to refer to self-identified transgender students by their preferred pronouns. Recently, the Virginia Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that ordered the reinstatement of a gym teacher (Byron Tanner Cross) who got suspended for speaking out against the then-proposed transgender policy during a school board meeting. The school not only requiring teachers to use preferred pronouns, but also allowed students to use the school restroom of their choosing regardless of their biological sex. So far, six of Virginia’s 133 school boards have rejected the transgender policies. Opposition is growing in all states towards transgender pronoun and bathroom mandates, as well as permitting biological males who identify as females to compete in girls’ sports. Just last month Attorneys general from 20 states filed lawsuit against the Biden Admin for these transgender mandates. Push back is steadily gaining momentum. More, even more.

Ireland – International Group: 80% of children with gender issues outgrow it.

Psychotherapist Stella O’Malley holds a B.A. in Counselling and Psychotherapy and a M.A. in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and is from Ireland. She says 80% of children who have “gender issues” grow out of them by the time they reach adulthood. “I did a film about this issue, called Trans Kids: It’s Time to Talk,” she told Sky News Australia. “The premise of this film was to ask – could any of the kids that are part of this massive explosion, all around the world … grow out of it and be happy in their own skin? “We were shocked how much we were shut down.” Ms O’Malley is the founder of Genspect, an organisation which advocates for parents of gender-questioning children. more, study.

Netherlands – Study: Transgender mortality rate

The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal published a report on the data that was compiled from medical records over five decades. Analysis of data compiled from the Netherlands reveals transgender individuals have a significantly higher mortality rate when compared to people without gender dysphoria, an outcome that suggests a need to closely examine the effects of hormone treatments. Researchers Martin den Heijer, Ph.D., of Amsterdam University Medical Centre (UMC) and colleagues found mortality risk among the transgender population did not decrease between 1972 and 2018.

The study included the data of 4,568 adult transgender individuals – 2927 transgender women (biological men) and 1641 transgender men (biological women). The mean age of the patient population at the start of hormone treatments was 30 years for transgender women and 23 years for transgender men. UMC operates a gender identity clinic, and, as the authors explain, data of transgender individuals who received hormone treatments between 1972 and 2018 were linked to Statistics Netherlands. “Cause-specific mortality in transgender women was high for cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, HIV-related disease, and suicide,” the researchers wrote. However, transgender men were 3.3 times more likely to die as a result of “non-natural causes,” for example, suicide, than women without gender dysphoria. This observational study showed an increased mortality risk in transgender people using hormone treatment, regardless of treatment type. This increased mortality risk did not decrease over time. More

USA – Biological male identifying as a woman is registered sex offender

The transgender woman (biological male) who sparked a nationwide debate in June by entering the nude women’s section of a Korean spa in Los Angeles turns out to be a registered sex offender who is facing separate charges and is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. The incident led to months of sometimes-violent protests, with media outlets declaring it an example of bias against the transgendered, or even that it didn’t happen. The original controversy came to national attention when a woman posted video of herself confronting spa staff over the incident. The spa’s management said they could not remove the “trans woman” due to California anti-discrimination laws. More

USA – Group of clinicians filed amicus brief against Pediatric Endocrine Society

An international group of over 100 clinicians and researchers called The Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM) has filed an Amicus Brief with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging the position held by WPATH and and the Pediatric Endocrine Society that mastectomies for gender-dysphoric adolescents are evidence-based. SEGM is concerned about the lack of quality evidence for using hormonal and surgical interventions as first-line treatment for young people with gender-dysphoria. SEGM recognizes the right of mature adults to undergo “gender-affirming” interventions despite the low quality of evidence (i.e., small study samples, weak study designs, very limited long-term follow-up, etc.) on which these interventions are based. However, when it comes to vulnerable youth whose gender identity is still developing, experimental treatments such as this should not be an option. SEGM formed this conclusion after thorough evaluation of the evidence, and by direct experience working with this population. The Amicus Brief highlights the following:

  • the rapid rise in numbers of gender dysphoric adolescent females with co-occurring mental health problems
  • the brief history of pediatric medical transition, its questionable outcomes, and its lack of applicability to the currently presenting cases
  • the low quality evidence underpinning the practice of providing mastectomies to gender-dysphoric minors
  • the lack of an established standard of care, the poor quality of WPATH “Standards of Care,” and growing dissent from WPATH’s recommendations by leading gender clinics worldwide
  • the emerging direction coming from pioneers in medical transition of minors that psychotherapy, rather than hormones and surgery, must be the first-line treatment for all gender-dysphoric youth.

The current state of scientific knowledge does not support the assertion that “gender-affirming” surgical interventions for minors are safe, effective, and medically necessary. SEGM’s concern is reinforced by a recent surge of minors with post-pubertal emergence of transgender identity, complicated by multiple mental health issues. This further amplifies the risks of applying irreversible interventions not based on quality, reliable scientific evidence. Amicus brief, reporting article.

LIFEalerts – Sexual Exploitation

Sexual Exploitation

USA – Investigation finds TikTok exposes children to inappropriate material 

According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, the video-sharing platform TikTok shows underage accounts thousands of videos depicting drugs, pornography and sexual content, and alcohol use, including over 100 videos promoting pornography subscription services and sex products. Investigators set up 31 fake TikTok accounts registered to users between the ages of 13 and 15 and studied their “For You” feeds, which consist of videos recommended to users by TikTok’s suggestion algorithm. The investigation took over several months. One particular account, registered to a 13-year-old, was shown at least 569 videos related to drug use, including meth and cocaine addiction. Another account was recommended videos depicting role-playing sexual content until 90% of the account’s feed consisted of videos related to bondage, sadomasochism, and other sexual practices.  127

TikTok responded admitting that they don’t separate content intended for adult users from content safe for children but were looking into technology that would filter out adult content for underage users. Apple was the subject of a similar investigation last month that found its App Store had few controls in place preventing minors from accessing adult hookup apps and apps with sexual content. An investigation released in June by the Human Trafficking Institute found that 59% of sex-trafficking victims were recruited through Facebook. More

USA – Nevada makes sexual exploitation ‘Dirty Dozen List’ again

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) announced that the State of Nevada is once again on its Dirty Dozen List of mainstream contributors to sexual exploitation.   The State, Nevada Legislature, and Governor were the defendants in a now dismissed lawsuit brought by a pair of women who were trafficked from Texas into Nevada’s illegal sex industry, the largest of any state. Nevada is a hub for sex trafficking. “Legalized brothels in Nevada have proven to be a failed experiment,” the 2021 Dirty Dozen list reads. Evidence shows that a legalized sex trade increases demand from sex buyers and therefore increases sex trafficking as exploiters try to satisfy the market. Survivors are exposing the ugly truth about life behind brothel doors. By legalizing brothels, Nevada is profiting from sexual exploitation and abuse—just like any other pimp.” More

South Africa – More than half of SA’s prostitute’s victims of rape, study finds

A study looked at the violence experienced by a sample pool of 3 000 female prostitutes in the country. The study found that 70% had experienced violence, while 57.9% had been raped. The study was conducted by the South African Medical Research Council and the Perinatal HIV Research Unit. The study followed a 2016 pilot in Soweto conducted among female prostitutes. It showed that prostitutes were extremely vulnerable to violence, mental health problems and, worryingly, signs of HIV drug resistance.” In the past year, 70.4% of female prostitutes experienced physical violence, and 57.9% were raped: by policemen (14.0%), clients (48.3%), other men (30.2%) and/or an intimate partner (31.9%),” the study found. It said: Sexual intimate partner violence was associated with food insecurity, entering prostitution as a child, childhood trauma exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), drinking alcohol to cope with prostitution, working more days, partner controlling behaviour, having an ex-client partner, and having no current partner to protect from ex-partners.  Dr Jenny Coetzee, the principal investigator of the study, said it had put numbers to the high levels of violence experienced by prostitutes and that, because of the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, there would likely be an increase in the number of people engaging in “survival-type” prostitution. “It is vital that prostitution programmes are properly resourced; so that they can help protect prostitutes from violence … There has been a lot of research showing what needs to be done to help prostitutes. Now we need committed resources to protect this vulnerable group of women,” Coetzee said. More

LIFEalerts – Abortion

Abortion

Australia – Four Abortion clinics close down

In November 2020 Marie Stopes International was renamed “MSI Reproductive Choices” due to Stopes’ well-documented views on eugenics. Marie Stopes Australia has closed four of its Queensland clinics located in Townsville, Rockhampton, Southport, and Newcastle. The managing director also blamed “stigma” on killing unborn children, which meant that they were not getting any women coming in. MSI now plans to focus on making abortion pills available via telemed also known as ‘DIY’ abortion program. DIY abortion has raised concerns among medical professionals in multiple countries believing this would not benefit women who are trafficked or in hostage situations. Sexually abused minors held captive by their perpetrator and the danger of unsupervised abortion procedures were also concerning. More

USA – Supreme Court refuses to block Texas law banning abortion

The US Supreme Court has refused to block a Texas law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy – which is when the babies’ heartbeat is detected. With a 5-4 vote, justices denied an emergency request by abortion providers for an injunction that would stop the legislation from being enforced while it is challenged in the courts. Private citizens can sue abortion providers and facilitators for at least $10,000 to enforce the law. Those liable even include anyone who drives a woman to a clinic so she can terminate her pregnancy. The Texas law, signed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott said on Twitter “Starting today, every unborn child with a heartbeat will be protected from the ravages of abortion,” “Texas will always defend the right to life.” More

USA – Numerous states plan to follow Texas abortion ban

Numerous states – including Florida, Arkansas, North Dakota – may follow Texas‘ newly-implemented ‘heartbeat’ bill and pass similar laws after the supreme court’s upholding of the legislation triggered renewed optimism among pro-life lawmakers. The ‘Texas Heartbeat Act,’ which took effect earlier this week, bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around six weeks, before a woman even realizes she’s pregnant. It makes no exceptions for women who became pregnant via rape or incest. However, it does allow a woman to terminate her pregnancy if carrying a baby to term would put her health at risk. The Supreme Court’s decision was nearly enough to bring Idaho’s fetal heartbeat law into effect. Idaho’s legislation, approved in April by Governor Brad Little, is a trigger law that allows the state to enforce an abortion ban if other states do so. But since the federal court didn’t rule on the Texas law’s constitutionality, its decision was not enough to enact Idaho’s legislation. More

USA – South Dakota signs order to block telemedicine abortions

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has issued an executive order that restricts telemedicine abortion by declaring abortion drugs may only be prescribed or dispensed by a physician who is licensed in South Dakota after an in-person examination. It also blocks abortion-inducing drugs from being provided via courier, deliver, telemedicine or mail service. The order also prevents abortion-inducing drugs from being dispensed or provided in school or on state grounds. The order directs South Dakota’s Department of Health to collect data on how often chemical abortions are performed as a percentage of all abortions, including how often women experience complications that require a medical follow-up; and enhance reporting requirements on emergency room complications related to chemical abortion. More.

Argentina – Medical Association: says abortion law unethical

Recently Argentina passed abortion laws for up to 14 weeks of pregnancy and The National Academy of Medicine in Argentina has warned that the abortion law violates the fundamental principles of the ethics of medicine and the defense of life. The academy reiterated “its respect for life from the moment of fertilization,” and criticized the euphemistic definition of abortion as “as access to the voluntary interruption of pregnancy.” The law goes as far as prohibiting conscientious objection, and ignores parental rights when a 14-year-old girl can request an abortion without the knowledge and approval of her parents. More

USA – Florida Abortionist who endangered women now closed

A Florida abortionist owning Venice Women’s Health Center in Port Charlotte has closed his clinic for good after women’s watchdog group investigated his practice. Reprotection, a national group that works to shut down dangerous abortion providers, began its investigation into the clinic after it received reports from pro-life sidewalk counselors who were outside of the clinic at the time learned that the woman had been in the midst of an abortion procedure when she left. The sidewalk counselors helped her obtain emergency medical care.

Reprotection filed several complaints with the Florida government, including with the state health department’s Division of Medical Quality Assurance and Division of Health Quality Assurance, alleging that Azima was a grave threat to the health and safety of Florida women. The group also filed complaints with the state’s elected officials and the governor’s office. The Florida health department ended up opening its own investigation, shortly after which the abortion clinic shut down. During its yearlong investigation, Reprotection found that Azima has an extensive history of medical negligence, including a previous medical license suspension. More