LIFEalerts 09 June 2016
LIFEAlerts
Special LIFEalert 24 May 2016
1. Paris conferences investigate gene editing technology and research ethics Gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) have immense potential for treating diseases. But they also present ethical concerns, such as modifying the germline and the consequences of altering the genetic heritage of future generations. Two conferences held in Paris to discuss the ethical issues surrounding human gene-editing research were attended by the world’s leading figures in stem cell research. Participants at the first meeting included the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the Académie Nationale de Médecine. The second meeting the next day included European Commission representation and prominent scientists, philosophers, ethicists and lawyers from Europe, the US, Canada, China, Singapore and Malaysia. Three panels of speakers addressed the principles underlying governance, international governance perspectives, and potential applications for germline editing. The meeting wrapped up with a moderated discussion among all of the attendees. Lawyer, Caroline Simons reported on the proceedings in the stem cell lab blog of Paul Knoepfler, Associate Professor at UC Davis School of Medicine in the Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy. Ms. Simons made a summary of the top takeaways of the meeting. Summary: 1. Germline gene editing technologies are not ready for clinical application in humans. 2. No country has regulated specifically for these technologies, but some consider that their regulations would encompass, or at least not prohibit, somatic gene editing. 3. Most countries prohibit germline gene editing. 4. There is no support for the clinical application of germline gene editing, but there is consensus that basic research should continue. 5. There is consensus that research and, when safety and efficacy concerns are satisfied, that clinical trials of somatic gene editing should continue. 6. There is no common understanding of ‘enhancement’ and no consensus that editing to achieve it should be permitted, even in somatic cells. 7. The UK is the only country to permit mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRT), which will result in germline alteration. Neither the US nor China consider it prudent to approve MRT technology at this time. 8. There is no consensus on the status of the human embryo (or even on what is an embryo), no consensus that embryos may be created for research or that they ought to be available for research beyond the fourteenth day. 9. The scientific evidence presented in the session which considered potential applications for germline editing did not demonstrate any ‘high unmet medical need’ for germline editing at this time. In fact, Dr. Clevers couldn’t think of any situation where using CRISPR/Cas9 on an embryo would be feasible. 10. There is consensus that public discussion of gene editing technology is urgently needed and that ‘broad, informed consent’ from the public is necessary before any clinical application of gene editing in humans. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/paris-conference-investigates-crispr-potential/11871 http://www.ipscell.com/2016/05/meeting-report-from-april-29th-paris-human-gene-edit-meeting/#more-19391
2. Psychiatrist drops truth bomb about transgendered people
The entire notion of gender is being questioned and it is now “bigoted” to believe we live in a “gender-binary” world. The idea that humans come in only two flavours: male and female, is seen as outdated, old-fashioned, antiquated and just plain mean. Now we must accept “gender fluidity” and children as young as four are being encouraged to choose their gender identity, as if it were not a biological given. Dr. Paul R. McHugh, Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University and former psychiatrist in chief who studied transgendered people for 40 years, said it is a scientific fact that “transgendered men do not become women, nor do transgendered women become men. All such people, he explained in an article for The Witherspoon Institute, “become feminized men or masculinized women, counterfeits or impersonators of the sex with which they identify.” Dr. McHugh, who was at Johns Hopkins Hospital for 26 years, the medical institute that initially pioneered sex change surgery and later ceased the practice, stressed that the cultural meme, or idea that “one’s sex is fluid and a matter of choice” is extremely damaging, especially to young people. He said that those who wish to change their gender suffer from a psychiatric condition, not an accident of birth. “Gender dysphoria, the official psychiatric term for feeling oneself to be of the opposite sex, belongs to the family of similarly disordered assumptions about the body, such as anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder,” said McHugh. “Its treatment should not be directed at the body as with surgery and hormones any more than one treats obesity fearing anorexic patients with liposuction,” he said. Perhaps the most tragic part of this new trend is the consequences. After the immense pain and hardship of transitioning, a high percentage of transgendered individuals eventually take their own lives. When “the tumult and shouting dies,” McHugh continued, “it proves not easy, nor wise to live in a counterfeit sexual garb. The most thorough follow-up of sex reassigned people, extending over 30 years, and conducted in Sweden, where the culture is strongly supportive of the transgendered, documents their lifelong mental unrest.” “Ten to 15 years after surgical reassignment, the suicide rate of those who had undergone sex-reassignment surgery rose to 20 times that of comparable peers,” said McHugh. http://www.allenbwest.com/michele/johns-hopkins-psychiatrist-drops-truth-bomb-about-transgenders-liberals-furiousDisclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International
]]>LIFEalerts 17 May 2016
USA – 55{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of Louisiana Voters Want Abortions Made Illegal
USA – AmeriCorps Abortion Scandal
USA – Alabama passes Unborn Child Protection from Dismember Act
USA – Oklahoma Abortionists to be stripped of licenses
UK – Chinese Herb Eyed For Cancer and Liver Disease Treatment
Asia – Two traditional medicines unsafe to use
India: Study – Herbal antibiotics extracted from wild plants
Belgium – 24 and ready to die?
Australia -Genetic screening before IVF
USA – IVF experts divided over mosaic embryos
Australia – Horrific abuse case raises questions
Australia – Treatment disagreement gets ugly in Western Australia
USA – Concerns about womb transplants
Canada – Why should we respect conscientious objectors?
Israel – Justice Minister Mulls Criminalizing the Hiring of Prostitutes
USA – Porn and the threat to virility
UK – Sex offenders win right to read porn in jail
USA – YouTube Continues Failing to Enforce its Community Guidelines
USA – Utah declares porn a ‘public health crisis
USA – Disparities in Health Conditions among Lesbian/Bisexual Women
Israel – Justice Minister Mulls Criminalizing the Hiring of Prostitutes
South Africa – HIV pre-exposure pill a lifeline for sex workers
UK – New study examines the effect of ecstasy on the brain
USA – Simultaneous cocaine, alcohol use linked to suicide risk
Sweden – Heavy marijuana use risk for male deaths by 60
Abortion
USA – 55{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of Louisiana Voters Want Abortions Made Illegal
Pollsters with Louisiana State University asked residents to choose whether abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in all cases or illegal in most cases. When compared to results from a Pew Research Centre poll, it appears that Louisiana residents are more pro-life than most Americans. The Pew poll found that 57 percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases and 40 percent believe it should be illegal in all or most cases. Gallup polling group’s 2015 survey found different results confirming that 55 percent of Americans oppose 98 percent or more of the 1.1 million abortions that take place annually in the United States.
USA – AmeriCorps Abortion Scandal
An investigation blew the lid off of a shocking new scandal involving AmeriCorps program. The “public service” arm of the federal government, created by Bill Clinton in 1993, did a tremendous disservice to taxpayers, an inspector general has found, by teaming up with the National Association of Community Health Centers to encourage, and in some cases facilitate abortions. Under the massive omnibus spending bill, Republicans gave AmeriCorps a big bump in funding — $50.6 million. The betrayal hits particularly close to home for leaders like Rep. Diane Black who have long championed the good work of these local centers and assumed they would be a natural replacement for the funding Planned Parenthood enjoyed.
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WA16D37&f=WU16D10
USA – Alabama passes Unborn Child Protection from Dismember Act
The Alabama Senate passed The Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Act sponsored by state Sen. Phil Williams. “We are pleased with the progress the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Ban bill is making through the Alabama legislature and are hopeful it will make its way to the governor’s desk for signature,” said Mary Spaulding Balch, director of National Right to Life’s State Legislation Department.”
USA – Oklahoma Abortionists to be stripped of licenses
Bill SB 1552that landed on Gov. Mary Fallin’s desk is making headlines nationwide. SB 1552, authored by Sen. Nathan Dahm and Sen. David Brumbaugh, directs the Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision and State Board of Osteopathic Examiners to revoke the medical licenses of doctors who perform abortions. SB 1552, however, does not alter a woman’s right; it simply deals with physicians’ behaviour and those who are committed to protecting life and bringing healing who then act in a manner inconsistent with that commitment.
http://liveactionnews.org/pro-life-bill-oklahoma-strip-physicians-medical-licenses-abortions/
Alternative Medicine
UK – Chinese Herb Eyed For Cancer and Liver Disease Treatment
Compounds in a plant commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine may help treat cancer and liver disease, according to a new study. Cathie Martin, a professor at the United Kingdom’s John Innes Centre, who led the study found that the Chinese Skullcap or Scutellaria Baicalensis (Huang Qin in Chinese medicine), which has traditionally been used to treat fever as well as liver and lung conditions, contains certain compounds that can effectively combat cancer. Studies on cells cultured in the lab also found that the compounds killed human cancers, but didn’t harm healthy cells. The study was published in the journal Science Advances.
http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/4/e1501780.full
Asia – Two traditional medicines unsafe to use
The Health Ministry has issued a warning to not buy or use unregistered Chinese traditional medicine products known as Dong Mai Tan and Seven Leaf Ginseng as they contain poisonous substances. The National Adverse Effect Drug Monitoring unit, under the National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau, conducted sample testing on both products and the result showed that the medicines contain dexamethasone, a corticosteroid controlled under the Poison Act 1952. Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said checks on both products confirmed that the medicines were not registered with the Drugs Control Authority.
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/04/16/two-traditional-medicines-unsafe-to-use/
India – Study: Herbal antibiotics extracted from wild plants
Antibiotic like compounds can be isolated from commonlygrowing wild plants reveals research conducted by the Amity institute of biotechnology. Professor Priti Mathur conducted her research in collaboration with Dr Manodeep Sen of the Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences and Sanjeev Kanojiya of the Central Drug Research Institute. “We conducted research on eleven plants and found antibiotic characterization in all of them. Of these eleven, we would conduct further experiments on three plants, Datura, Bhang and Chirayata, which have shown high antibiotic characteristics,’ said Mathur. This is the same thing they are doing with marijuana, isolating compounds and identifying which can be used for medicinal purpose.
Euthanasia
Belgium – 24 and ready to die?
When Emily, 24, obtained permission to be euthanized from a team of three doctors and psychiatrists, the whole idea was that her condition would not and could not improve, and that no treatment whatsoever was available that would rid her of her mental illness, or give her even the slightest hope. Now the fact that she was facing death certainly triggered something in her mind, helping her to find reasons to live. If that means anything, it shows that her despair was not so deep-rooted as to be utterly beyond help.
IVF&Surrogacy
Australia -Genetic screening before IVF
Julian Savulescu has called on the Australian government to subsidise preimplantation genetic diagnosis, arguing that genetic screening is in the interests both of children and of future generations. The argument advances his general bioethical theory of procreative beneficence, the view that parents have an ethical duty wherever possible to bring into existence healthy children. “These arguments suggest much more funding should be put into IVF and genetic selection to avoid serious disease but they also extend to other non-disease traits. It is better if people have talents and gifts, are happy, co-operative, empathetic, altruistic and so on… Genetic selection should be supported to have children who will have better lives, not merely healthier lives. It ought to be a priority.”
USA – IVF experts divided over mosaic embryos
Debate is intensifying among fertility specialists about the use of mosaic embryos in IVF.Mosaic embryos – embryos that are characterized by irregular numbers or arrangements of chromosomes in some cells – have typically not been used by fertility specialists (at least in the US) due to the likelihood that any resulting foetus will suffer from genetic disorders.Dr. Norbert Gleicher, the director of the Centre for Human Reproduction in New York, recently tested Preimplantation Genetic Screening by transferring seemingly abnormal embryos into women seeking IVF. Gleicher has reported four normal pregnancies since he began his test.
http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/ivf-experts-divided-over-mosaic-embryos/11841#sthash.l8Fui0wh.dpuf
Australia – Horrific abuse case raises questions
An Australian case of sexual exploitation of infants has raised questions about international surrogacy. An unnamed 49-year-old man in rural Victoria has pleaded guilty to abusing not only two young nieces, but twins whom he fathered with the help of a donated egg from a woman in Ukraine at an IVF clinic in Asia.His abuse of his daughters began when they were 27 days old and continued for seven months. Amongst the 13,000 images and videos in his possession when he was arrested were 300 of his own daughters.
Medical Ethics
Australia – Treatment disagreement gets ugly in Western Australia
The parents of a six-year-old boy have spoken of their distress after a hospital obtained a court order to force chemotherapy on their child.The parents of Oshin Kiszko, who was diagnosed with advanced brain cancer, believe their son should not have to undergo chemotherapy, as it is not worth the suffering and risks. Instead they asked for palliative care.Yet a Family Court ratified the decision of the Princess Margaret Hospitalethics committee to enforce the treatment.Australian Medical Association WA president Michael Gannon defended the hospital: “This is rare, extremely unusual and would weigh heavily on the individual clinicians involved,” he told a local radio station. “It is something they would almost certainly discuss with their colleagues.”
http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/treatment-disagreement-gets-ugly-in-western-australia/11839
USA – Concerns about womb transplants
A participant of an American trial had to have her recently transplanted womb removed due to a common uterine infection unrelated to the operation.Still, some have used the failed operation to question the research. However, group of researchers from Australia’s Macquarie University had discussed ethical problems surrounding the practice, noting a certain inconsistency that would result from denying womb transplants to infertile women:“Where a woman does not have a functioning uterus, it is far from clear how we might legitimately encourage use of a surrogate (with all its attendant difficulties) but withhold the opportunity to employ an (in principle) established surgical technique – namely, organ transplantation – in order to allow her to achieve a pregnancy ‘of her own’.”
http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/nascent-concerns-about-womb-transplants/11840
Canada – Why should we respect conscientious objectors?
As the Canadian parliament drafts a law to implement assisted suicide and euthanasia some doctors fear they will be forced to perform the procedures or refer patients. But do doctors have a right to appeal to their “moral conscience”. Professor Udo Schuklenk of Queen’s University Ontario contendsin the Journal of Medical Ethics that, “Forcing patients to live by the conscientious objectors’ values constitutes an unacceptable infringement on the rights of patients.” But Dr Nancy Naylor declared in the Canadian Family Physician:”I refuse to let anyone or any organization dictate my moral code. I have no wish to stop. (But) For this reason I am not renewing my license to practice medicine.
http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/why-should-we-respect-conscientious-objectors/11848
Pedophilia
Israel – Justice Minister Mulls Criminalizing the Hiring of Prostitutes
Ayelet Shaked has formed a committee to examine other European countries’ approach. The committee will also study international models of criminalization of prostitution consumers, including the new French law. The new bill would make every woman working in prostitution or has left prostitution eligible to receive assistance from welfare services, including assured income and pocket money in the rehabilitation stage, assistance with employment, rent, household supplies, supplemental education, medical or psychosocial aid, legal aid, and assistance in strengthening her relationship with her children. The Mitos (The Day after Prostitution) NGO estimates the number to be about 300,000, with payments from consumers totaling NIS 1.2 billion per year.
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.714841
Pornography
USA – Porn and the threat to virility
Porn has always faced criticism but for the first time it is coming from porn customers. Users explain the effect of porn addiction on them. Apart from the apparent sexual dysfunction it causes, it also degrades women and normalises sexual aggression. Compelling new research on visual stimuli offers support to the young men’s theories, suggesting the combination of computer access, sexual pleasures and the brain’s mechanisms for learning could make online porn acutely habit forming, with potential psychological effects. Pornhub video-sharing site, says it gets 2.4 million visitors per hour and that in 2015 alone, people around the globe watched 4 392 486 580 hours of its content.
Time magazine , April 18, 2016
UK – Sex offenders win right to read porn in jail
Some of Britain’s most dangerous sex offenders in Glenochiljail in Scotland are to be allowed access to porn for the first time in a deal with prison governors. Sandy Brindley, National Co-ordinator of Rape Crisis Scotland, expressed her concern as many of the messages in pornography reinforce the idea that women are permanently sexually available and say, ‘No’ when they mean ‘Yes’. She suggested that sex offenders need access to programmes which reinforce the importance of consent. The reason given for this move is that these magazines are available to the public and to deny them to prisoners could turn into a human rights issue.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dangerous-sex-offenders-win-right-7774502
USA – YouTube Continues Failing to Enforce its Community Guidelines
YouTube, for the second consecutive year, has been included on the National Centre on Sexual Exploitation’s annual Dirty Dozen List for the original reason: failing to eliminate sexually explicit and pornographic content, both soft-core and hard-core, in posted videos. While YouTube’s Community Guidelines clearly delineate that it prohibits nudity, pornography, and other sexually explicit content, they make little effort to monitor and remove videos that violate its guidelines. Worse still, YouTube facilitates viewing of such material among those not even searching for it because inappropriate content can appear as “recommended” viewing or “up next” videos on the right side of a user’s screen. For children in particular, this presents a great risk.
http://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/youtube-makes-reappearance-dirty-dozen-list/
USA – Utah declares porn a ‘public health crisis
The state of Utah has become the first state in the nation to declare that pornography is creating a “public health crisis.”Governor Gary Herbert signed a non-binding resolution, SCR 9, which recognizes porn can impact brain development, increase risky sexual behaviour, and lead to sexual addiction. According to Gov Herbert they are sounding a voice of warning, because there are real health risks that are involved with viewing pornography.”Numerous studies have now connected pornography use to lower mental health outcomes, lower relationship well-being, and detrimental expectations and beliefs about sex and sexual intimacy, according to Dr. Brian Willoughby, a professor of family life at Brigham Young University.
Same Sex Attraction
USA – Disparities in Health Conditions among Lesbian/Bisexual Women
USA Department of Psychology at the University of Washington, Montana and California conducted a systematic review to assess evidence for disparities for lesbian and bisexual women, in comparison with heterosexual women across a range of nine physical health conditions. Almost every comparison (i.e., heterosexual vs. lesbian, bisexual,) indicated disparities. Evidence of disparities that were statistically significant were; adjusted ratios for asthma (5 of 7 comparisons), obesity (8 of 12), arthritis (2 of 3), global ratings of physical health (4 of 7), and cardiovascular disease (1 of 1). Evidence was lacking for cancer (1 of 4), diabetes and hypertension (both 1 of 5), and high cholesterol (0 of 3).
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00918369.2016.1174021
Sexual Exploitation
Israel – Justice Minister Mulls Criminalizing the Hiring of Prostitutes
Ayelet Shaked has formed a committee to examine other European countries’ approach. The committee will also study international models of criminalization of prostitution consumers, including the new French law. The new bill would make every woman working in prostitution or has left prostitution eligible to receive assistance from welfare services, including assured income and pocket money in the rehabilitation stage, assistance with employment, rent, household supplies, supplemental education, medical or psychosocial aid, legal aid, and assistance in strengthening her relationship with her children. The Mitos (The Day After Prostitution) NGO estimates the number to be about 300,000, with payments from consumers totaling NIS 1.2 billion per year.
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.714841
South Africa – HIV pre-exposure pill a lifeline for sex workers
The Health department is expected to announce that it will provide antiretrovirals to thousands of HIV-negative sex workers in a bid to keep them HIV free. This is expected to make South Africa one of the first countries worldwide to bring the latest HIV prevention science to those who need it most. The department and the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) say that at least 3 000 HIV-negative sex workers will be eligible to begin taking combination antiretroviral (ARV) Truvada in order to prevent contracting HIV. Truvada combines the ARVs emtricitabine and tenofovir. When taken daily this treatment has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection by about 90 percent.
http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/hiv-pre-exposure-pill-a-lifeline-for-sex-workers-1996355
Substance Abuse
UK – New study examines the effect of ecstasy on the brain
Dr Carl Roberts and Dr Andrew Jones, from the University’s Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, and Dr Cathy Montgomery from Liverpool John Moore’s University conducted an analysis of seven independent studies that used molecular imaging to examine the neuropsychological effect of ecstasy on people that use the drug regularly.They found that ecstasy users showed significant reductions in the way serotonin is transported in the brain. This can have a particular impact on regulating appropriate emotional reactions to situations.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160418095916.htm
USA – Simultaneous cocaine, alcohol use linked to suicide risk
A new study of hundreds of emergency department visits finds that the links between substance misuse and suicide risk are complex, but that use of cocaine and alcohol together was particularly significant.Led by Sarah Arias, assistant professor (research) of psychiatry and human behaviour in the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, the team examined 874 men and women who presented at one of eight emergency departments around the country between 2010 and 2012. The patients were participants in the Emergency Department Safety Assessment and Follow-up Evaluation study, led by the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160408101936.htm
Sweden – Heavy marijuana use risk for male deaths by 60
Swedish researchers analysed the records of more than 45,000 men beginning in 1969 and 1970. The scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm reported that 4,000 died during the 42-year follow-up period, and men who’d used marijuana heavily at ages 18 and 19 were 40{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} more likely to die by age 60 compared to men who hadn’t used the drug. The study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. “This study was longer and participants might have reached an age where thelong-term effects of cannabis were taking a toll on health,” said addiction expert Scott Krakower, an assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital, in New Hyde Park, NY.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/heavy-teen-marijuana-use-may-cut-life-short-by-60/
Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International
]]>LIFEalerts 29 April 2016
LIFEalerts 29 April 2016
| Abortion | Poland – Prime Minister backs call for full abortion ban USA – Missouri resolution to define a preborn baby as a person USA – New York Abortions Drop 21{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} in Last Seven Years USA – Alabama House Define Unborn Baby as a Person |
| Alternative Medicine | India – Doctors warn diabetics against herbal drugs USA – Diabetes Patient Uses Herbal Remedies to Treat Disease UK – NHS to ditch acupuncture for patients with back pain |
| Euthanasia | No news today |
| IVF& Surrogacy | Sweden – Study links depression and anxiety to IVF outcomes |
| Medical Ethics | USA – Unilateral ‘do not resuscitate’ orders: what neonatologists think USA – Crispr will lead to designer babies, says geneticist Italy – Ban on embryo research survives challenge |
| Pedophilia | No news today |
| Pornography | USA – Free Virtual Reality Porn Is Here If You Want It or Not South Africa – Child pornographer caught through traced IP address USA – Former porn star is exposing porn’s secrets USA – Charlie Sheen’s ex Bree Olson warns girls ‘don’t do porn’ |
| Same Sex Attraction | USA – Paediatricians’ Group: Transgender Kids Need Help, Not Hormones UK – Sexual orientation, wellbeing and mental disorder USA – Doing the right thing by transgender kids is not easy USA – WPA condemns treatment for unwanted homosexual attraction |
| Sexual Exploitation | UK – Safeguarding chairman backs calls for zero tolerance Yemen – 8-Year Old Child Bride Dies On Wedding Night France – Government overhauls prostitution laws, illegal to pay for services Germany – Plan to jail ‘johns’ stirs debate on forced prostitution |
| Substance Abuse | USA – Senate passes bill to combat heroin, painkiller abuse Australia – Medicinal cannabis legalised in Victoria Canada – Opioid Painkiller May Be New Treatment for Heroin Addicts |
LIFEalerts 13 April 2016
LIFEalerts 13 April 2016
| Abortion | USA – Kentucky State Senate passes ultrasound bill, on to the House USA – Mississippi House Passes Bill to Ban Dismemberment Abortions USA – Oklahoma House passes “Humanity of the Unborn Child Act” USA – Committee investigates fetal pain and babies born alive after abortion |
| Alternative Medicine | USA – Senate bill would ban sale of Kratom herb to minors Israel – Herbal medicines may pose health risks for cancer patients |
| Euthanasia | Canada – Canada takes another step on the slippery slope Switzerland – EXIT deaths jump in assisted suicide numbers Belgium – Euthanasia now past the slippery slope and on base jumping |
| IVF& Surrogacy | No news today |
| Medical Ethics | USA – Is there a difference between genetic engineering and eugenics? USA – Sanitizing the language of clinical trials USA – Panel on infant lives meets in Washington UK – Health service may harvest organs from babies with lethal defects |
| Pedophilia | USA – Injured U.S. vets now hunting child predators |
| Pornography | USA – Parent investigator easily navigates to porn using school ‘filter’ |
| Same Sex Attraction | Australia – Safe Schools LGBTI program’s funding should be ‘terminated’ USA – Court Removes ‘Husband,’ ‘Wife’ for of ‘Gender Neutral’ Terms USA – Psychiatrist: Transgender Sex Change ‘Biologically Impossible |
| Sexual Exploitation | UK – Study reveals extent of impact on health from human trafficking UK – Term ‘child prostitution’ removed from Government publications Israel -12,000 women work in prostitution in Israel Sweden – Legalize incest and necrophilia says Liberals youth wing |
| Substance Abuse | USA – Colorado visitors using marijuana end up in emergency room |
Statements from the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the American College of Pediatricians.
National Institute of Drug Abuse
Legalized Cannabis and the Brain-A Clinical Review.
Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) are sounding the alarm over a possible increase in unknown cognitive and behavioural harms that widespread cannabis use may unmask. A clinical review conducted by NIDA points out that as legalization of the drug for recreational and medical use spreads, vulnerable populations, especially adolescents, are exposed to toxic effects of the drug. “This is not a problem that is specific to marijuana,” Dr Volkow states. “Young brains and drugs shouldn’t mix. Period.”Powerful Disruptors
Dr Volkow explained that young brains are engaged in a protracted period of “brain programming,” in which everything an adolescent does or is exposed to can affect the final architecture and network connectivity of the brain. “Drugs are powerful disruptors of brain programming because they can directly interfere with the process of neural pruning and interregional brain connectivity,” she added. In the short term, this kind of interference can negatively affect academic performance. However, long-term use can impair behavioural adaptability, mental health, and life trajectories. Currently, four states ― Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska ― as well as the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for recreational use among adults. Twenty-three other states, plus the District of Columbia, also regulate cannabis use for medical purposes. As a result of this rising tide of legalized marijuana, Dr Volkow and colleagues believed a more focused and in-depth study of its use and consequences was urgently needed.Neuro-psychological Decline
“Emerging evidence suggests that adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of cannabis use,” the investigators write. Several studies, for example, have shown that individuals who use cannabis at an earlier age have greater neuropsychological impairment and that persistent use of cannabis from adolescence was associated with neuropsychological decline from the age of 13 to 38 years. This was not found to be the case when cannabis was first used in adulthood. There is also “fairly clear evidence” of structural alterations in a number of areas in the brain associated with exposure to cannabis, although some evidence suggests that associated drinking may explain some of the structural alterations attributed solely to cannabis use. In other words, alcohol or cannabis on their own are not good for the body, but put them together and you have a more potent toxic combination. MRI studies have also pointed to changes in neural activity among cannabis users, including inefficient processing during a working memory task. “There is both preclinical and clinical evidence supporting the view that cannabis use is associated with an ‘amotivational’ state,” said Dr Volkow. The term “cannabis amotivational syndrome” is distinguished by apathy(laziness) and difficulty with concentration. She also notes that long-term, heavy cannabis use has been associated with underachievement in terms of educational pursuits. On the other hand, it is also likely that diminished motivation could impair learning as well, inasmuch as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in cannabis, has been shown to disrupt reward-based learning. “Amotivation in chronic heavy users may also reflect the fact that cannabis itself has become a major motivator,” Dr Volkow writes, “so other activities (e.g., schoolwork) become demoted in the individual’s reward hierarchy.” What now needs to be established is whether higher concentrations of THC might make the risk of developing amotivation or even addiction more likely, investigators add.Cannabis and Psychosis
There is also a lingering controversy over whether cannabis can trigger psychiatric disorders, notably, psychotic disorders and schizophrenia. “It is recognized that cannabis with a high THC can trigger an acute psychotic episode,” Dr Volkow writes. However, she cautions that the extent to which cannabis can result in schizophrenia is still being debated, although the consensus is that cannabis use in those at risk for schizophrenia can trigger the disease and exacerbate its course. Particularly at high doses, THC has been known to trigger schizophrenia-like positive and negative symptoms. Studies have also consistently shown an association between the use of cannabis and schizophrenia in cases in which cannabis use precedes psychosis. “The association between cannabis use and chronic psychosis (including a schizophrenia diagnosis) is stronger in those individuals who have had heavy or frequent cannabis use during adolescence, earlier use, or use of cannabis with high THC potency,” Dr Volkow and colleagues observe.“From these studies, ever use of cannabis is estimated to increase the risk of schizophrenia by approximately 2-fold, accounting for 8{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} to 14{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of cases, with frequent use or use of cannabis with high THC potency increasing the risk of schizophrenia 6-fold.”Dr Volkow cautions that legitimate controversy remains as to how much cannabis use contributes to psychosis and the degree to which cannabis can precipitate psychosis in patients who have no genetic predisposition for the illness.
Key Questions
A number of key questions need to be adequately researched before a clearer picture emerges about the potential harms of cannabis use. The first is, how much cannabis use is too much? Dr Volkow noted that it is not clear whether the effects of cannabis among heavy users apply equally to those who use cannabis much more casually. The second is, at what age is cannabis use most harmful? It is fairly clear that cannabis does have negative effects among adolescent users, the researchers note, but it may also have negative effects in older adults who undergo changes in brain plasticity and age-related cognitive decline, both of which could make them more susceptible to toxic effects of the drug. “Physicians are in a key position to help prevent cannabis use disorder,” said Dr Volkow. “This will require that they screen adolescents and young adults for cannabis consumption and that they intervene to prevent further use,” she added. In cases in which the adolescent or young person already suffers from the disorder, physicians need to tailor their intervention on the basis of the severity of the disorder and the presence of comorbidities, such as anxiety or depression. “Science has shown us that marijuana is not a benign drug. The morbidity and mortality from legal drugs is much greater than that for illegal drugs, not because the drugs are more dangerous but because their legal status makes them more accessible and a larger percentage of the population is exposed to them on a regular basis,” she said. “The current ‘normalization’ movement presses on with complete disregard for the evidence of marijuana’s negative health consequences, and this bias is likely to erode our prevention efforts by decreasing the perception of harm and increasing use among young people, which is the population most vulnerable to the harmful effects of regular marijuana use.”Contributor to Mental Illness
Commenting, Oliver Howes, MD, PhD, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, United Kingdom, said he endorses the NIDA’s position on cannabis use. “I agree that there are potential issues around the use of cannabis, especially if you start it early, in adolescence,” Dr Howes said. “Early use seems to be what increases your risk of psychosis in particular, but it also seems to be associated with more marked effects generally, and we’ve certainly seen the effects of long- term, early cannabis use on the brain’s dopamine systems that are linked to effects on motivation, or rather the lack of motivation, that you commonly see in heavy cannabis users,” he added. Dr Howes also shared DFL and NIDA’s viewpoint that there is much that is not known about the long-term effects of cannabis use, especially heavy cannabis use. He also noted that “as a physician, I quite commonly see young adults who started using cannabis at the age of 12, 13, and 14 and who have come to see me in early adulthood with mental health problems.“And yes, I do think early cannabis use contributes to the mental health problems that we see later on.”http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/860535?nlid=102424_2982&src=wnl_dne_160318_mscpedit&uac=117551AJ&impID=1026869&faf=1 http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2488041&resultClick=3
American College of Pediatricians
Gender Ideology Harms Children.
The American College of Paediatricians urges educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex. Facts – not ideology – determine reality. 1.Human sexuality is an objective biological binary trait: “XY” and “XX” are genetic markers of health – not genetic markers of a disorder. The norm for human design is to be conceived either male or female. Human sexuality is binary by design with the obvious purpose being the reproduction and flourishing of our species. This principle is self-evident. The exceedingly rare disorders of sex development (DSDs), including but not limited to testicular feminization and congenital adrenal hyperplasia, are all medically identifiable deviations from the sexual binary norm, and are rightly recognized as disorders of human design. Individuals with DSDs do not constitute a third sex. (1) 2. No one is born with a gender. Everyone is born with a biological sex. Gender (an awareness and sense of oneself as male or female) is a sociological and psychological concept; not an objective biological one. No one is born with an awareness of themselves as male or female; this awareness develops over time and, like all developmental processes, may be derailed by a child’s subjective perceptions, relationships, and adverse experiences from infancy forward. People who identify as “feeling like the opposite sex” or “somewhere in between” do not comprise a third sex. They remain biological men or biological women. (2,3,4) 3.A person’s belief that he or she is something they are not is, at best, a sign of confused thinking. When an otherwise healthy biological boy believes he is a girl, or an otherwise healthy biological girl believes she is a boy, an objective psychological problem exists that lies in the mind not the body, and it should be treated as such. These children suffer from gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria (GD), formerly listed as Gender Identity Disorder (GID), is a recognized mental disorder in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-V).5 The psycho-dynamic and social learning theories of GD/GID have never been disproved. (2,4,5) 4.Puberty is not a disease and puberty-blocking hormones can be dangerous. Reversible or not, puberty- blocking hormones induce a state of disease – the absence of puberty – and inhibit growth and fertility in a previously biologically healthy child. (6) 5.According to the DSM-V, as many as 98{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of gender confused boys and 88{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of gender confused girls eventually accept their biological sex after naturally passing through puberty. (5) 6.Children who use puberty blockers to impersonate the opposite sex will require cross-sex hormones in late adolescence. Cross-sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen) are associated with dangerous health risks including but not limited to high blood pressure, blood clots, stroke and cancer. (7,8,9,10) 7.Rates of suicide are twenty times greater among adults who use cross-sex hormones and undergo sex reassignment surgery, even in Sweden which is among the most LGBT – affirming countries.(11) What compassionate and reasonable person would condemn young children to this fate knowing that after puberty as many as 88{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of girls and 98{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of boys will eventually accept reality and achieve a state of mental and physical health? 8.Conditioning children into believing a lifetime of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex is normal and healthful is child abuse. Endorsing gender discordance as normal via public education and legal policies will confuse children and parents, leading more children to present to “gender clinics” where they will be given puberty-blocking drugs. This, in turn, virtually ensures that they will “choose” a lifetime of carcinogenic and otherwise toxic cross-sex hormones, and likely consider unnecessary surgical mutilation of their healthy body parts as young adults. Michelle A. Cretella, M.D. President of the American College of Pediatricians Quentin Van Meter, M.D.Vice President of the American College of Pediatricians,Pediatric Endocrinologist Paul McHugh, M.D. University Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School and the former psychiatrist in chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital References:- Consortium on the Management of Disorders of Sex Development, “Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Disorders of Sex Development in Childhood.” Intersex Society of North America, March 25, 2006. Accessed 3/20/16 fromhttp://www.dsdguidelines.org/files/clinical.pdf.
- Zucker, Kenneth J. and Bradley Susan J. “Gender Identity and Psychosexual Disorders. “FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry. Vol. III, No. 4, Fall 2005 (598-617).
- Whitehead, Neil W. “Is Trans-sexuality biologically determined?” Triple Helix (UK), Autumn 2000, p6-8. accessed 3/20/16 from http://www.mygenes.co.nz/transsexuality.htm; see also Whitehead, Neil W. “Twin Studies of Transsexuals [Reveals Discordance]” accessed 3/20/16 from http://www.mygenes.co.nz/transs_stats.htm.
- Jeffreys, Sheila. Gender Hurts: A Feminist Analysis of the Politics of Transgenderism. Routledge, New York, 2014 (pp.1-35).
- American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Association, 2013 (451-459). See page 455 re: rates of persistence of gender dysphoria.
- Hembree, WC, et al. Endocrine treatment of transsexual persons: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinal Metab. 2009;94:3132-3154.
- Olson-Kennedy, J and Forcier, M. “Overview of the management of gender nonconformity in children and adolescents.” Up-to-date November 4, 2015. Accessed 3.20.16 from www.uptodate.com.
- Moore, E., Wisniewski, & Dobs, A. “Endocrine treatment of transsexual people: A review of treatment regimens, outcomes, and adverse effects.” The Journal of Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2003; 88(9), pp3467-3473.
- FDA Drug Safety Communication issued for Testosterone products accessed 3.20.16: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm161874.htm.
- World Health Organization Classification of Estrogen as a Class I Carcinogen: http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/ageing/cocs_hrt_statement.pdf
- Dhejne, C, et.al. “Long-Term Follow-Up of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery: Cohort Study in Sweden.” PLoS ONE, 2011; 6(2). Affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Accessed 3.20.16 from http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0016885.
LIFEalerts 15 March 2016
LIFEalerts 18 February 2016
LIFEalerts 22 January 2016
LIFEalerts 22 January 2016
| Abortion | USA – President Obama vetoes legislation defunding Planned Parenthood USA – Kansas Governor defunds Planned Parenthood Medicaid funding |
| Alternative Medicine | No news today |
| Euthanasia | Netherlands – Demented patients can now be euthanized |
| HIV/AIDS | No news today |
| Homosexuality | No news today |
| IVF & Surrogacy | USA – The more cycles the better says study Italy – Treat surrogate parents as sex offenders says Italian minister |
| Medical Ethics | USA – The top tech ethical issues of 2016 USA – Clinics obliged to offer fertility services to transgender people USA – Most research using fetal tissue is on infectious diseases |
| Pedophilia |
Japan – Can Child Dolls Keep Pedophiles from Offending?USA – Actor arrested for images of child sexual exploitation |
| Pornography | USA – Study: Watching Porn Can Make You Sexually Aggressive USA – Possible link between pornography and dating abuse among teens USA – More than one in ten youth pastors addicted to porn USA – PornhHub statistics |
| Prostitution &Trafficking | Netherlands – Sex is now acceptable tender for driving lessons USA – FBI has new plan to stop Super Bowl prostitution |
| Stem Cells & Cloning | No news today |
| Substance Abuse | USA – Planned Parenthood gunman was a “marijuana newcomer” USA – Over 400 conditions co-occur with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders USA – Spike in Newborn Drug-Withdrawal Australia – Marijuana and Your Health: 20 Years of Research |
LIFEalerts 22 December 2015