Doctors for Life International – South Africa Postal Address: P.O. Box 6613 ZIMBALI 4418 Physical Address: Unit 5 Reys Office Park BALLITO 4420 DFL Office: 074 112 9093 (not for smses) DFL Office: 074 107 8818 (not for smses) Fax nr. 032 481 5554 Abortion helpline: 081 441 6462 & 073 745 5740 Prostitute helpline: 079 0464 200 Website address: www.doctorsforlife.co.za Facebook: www.Facebook.com/doctors4life E-mail: [email protected]
Uncategorized
Substance Abuse
Drug addiction is responsible for one quarter of all deaths worldwide. Ninety-five percent of untreated addicts die from their addiction, while ninety-seven percent of addicts never seek any treatment. Images of substance abuse are prevalent throughout society. It has been reported that the average twenty year old has seen over 200,000 television commercials encouraging the use of alcohol and tobacco. All addicts will experience a time when they will crave the drug on which they depend, but none will be available and they will suffer withdrawal symptoms. The immediate response is to get the drug to relieve the pain of withdrawal. The reason for withdrawal is that drugs affect the cells of the body and the body counteracts with its own chemicals and adaptation. When the drug on which an addict is dependent is absent from his system, the body continues counteracting the drug even though it is no longer present. This causes irritation, mood swings, insomnia, stress, as well as emotional and physical pain. Acute withdrawal is a definite sign of dependency and addiction. In order to break an addiction, one needs total abstinence from the drug. Help is available through rehabilitation and professional counseling. Although the addiction may seem impossible to overcome, the trial of withdrawal will be small compared to the grip of addiction. Overcoming addiction is much easier with external help: physical, mental and spiritual. Substance abuse is a common illness and freedom can and should be found.
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Stem Cells and Cloning
Cloning is a method of reproduction used to copy a cell or an individual from their nuclear DNA. Except when there are errors or mutations during copying, a clone is, to a large extent, genetically identical to the original: it has the same DNA.
In April 2003, South Africa’s first cloned animal, a calf, was born. Scientists from South Africa collaborated with scientists from Denmark to make the event possible. At present, the survival rate of cloned animals is lower than their normal counterparts, but the technology is improving. The prevailing ethical questions concerning cloning are: does man have the right to use scientific technology to create life? And what right does a human have to clone another human?
Morally we oppose human cloning
At Doctors for Life (DFL), we believe that human life is sacred. Each individual is made by God in His image preferably by the union of genetic material from a husband and wife. We believe that the family is the basic social unit designed by God to receive and nurture new human life. Morally, we oppose human cloning. First and foremost, the development of this technology will require the deliberate sacrifice of human embryos, a deliberate act of murder of a human life that began at conception. Any cell in that embryo contains all of the information needed for a complete human life. Additionally, we believe that God’s endows an eternal soul in each life that He creates. Furthermore, cloning may deviate from the wisdom of God’s design for human genetic diversity. Scientifically, we oppose human cloning based on the potential for additive mutations, transmission of mitochondrial diseases, and negative effects from ageing genetic material. From society’s viewpoint, we oppose human cloning based upon the issues of parentage, lineage, family structure and the uniqueness of the individual. We affirm the need for continued medical, scientific and moral scrutiny as research on animal cloning proceeds and proposals for the application of this technology to humans are advanced. We at DFL believe that only God can and should create life. It is our opinion that the practice of cloning is man’s attempt to play God. Creating artificial life interferes with God’s divine plan for creation. DFL opposes all forms of cloning and will continue to work through legal and governmental channels to bring it to an end.]]>Pornography
Doctors for Life was instrumental in getting the Constitutional Court of South Africa to rule that the production and/or possession of child pornography is illegal. DFL presented some of the latest research to the court on the effects of pornography on the brains of those who view it. It has been proven that pornographic images are often stored in the brain as real experiences. This has a dramatic impact on behavior and may for a long time since the images are not easily forgotten.
It was decide by the court that, “Child pornography is universally condemned for good reason. It strikes at the dignity of children, It is harmful to children who are used in its production, and it is potentially harmful because of the attitude to child sex that it fosters and the use to which it can be put in grooming children to engage in sexual conduct”.
Doctors for Life offers help and counseling to those who are addicted to any form of pornography. Like any addiction, the craving only grows. In this case, the addict needs to find more lewd and graphic forms of pornography. There is help though. Many have escaped the addiction of pornography and so can you.]]>
Medical Ethics
The traditional family unit based on a heterosexual marriage forms the building block upon which the overall structure of a successful society is derived. Consequently, sexual reproduction is not just a physical act, but one with consequences with immense power to exert an effect on every aspect of society.
Technologies that are used to assist the process of reproduction need to have a solid moral foundation and framework with clearly defined limitations on the techniques employed. The goal of the moral framework employed should be based on the preservation of the family unit.
Based on these points, the fusion of the egg with the sperm for the purposes of reproduction should be limited to married couples. This will ensure that the resulting embryo maintains its biological and social integrity as part of its family unit.
A lack of an ethical framework for the use of reproductive technologies such as egg and sperm donations causes arbitrary use leading inevitably to abuse. For example, fertility clinics in Cape Town are currently running advertisements for couples in the US and the UK to come to South Africa for inexpensive fertility services. The adverts promise multiracial egg donations as part of a “vacation package” which includes sight seeing at the popular holiday destination. Young local students are offered money in exchange for donations of their eggs. In addition to undergoing extensive medical procedures, the donors help produce children with whom they will have no emotional or familial ties.
At the end of the day, the victims are the defenseless children. Furthermore, this type of abuse as well as other irresponsible uses lacking the necessary ethical framework only serve to cause an irreversible damage to the produced child, the traditional family unit and hence all of society eventually.
The only way to ensure that this useful technology is used for the greater good of society is to protect the boundaries within which it is applied and ensure the preservation of the traditional family unit by limiting the fusion of the egg and the sperm to that of married couples only.]]>
Euthanasia
Doctors for Life (DFL) is opposed to ‘active’ euthanasia, that is euthanasia that involves the intentional killing of a person, but is not opposed to the patient’s right to refuse medical treatment or ‘passive’ euthanasia. DFL supports the present ban on active euthanasia in South Africa. We believe that it should be kept because any relaxation would be open to abuse. Active euthanasia could put pressure on the old and the sick to seek early death such that the ‘right to die’ would become the ‘duty to die’ .To distinguish between murder and ‘mercy killing’ would be to cross the line that prohibits any intentional killing, a line that is essential to preserve. We can respect a patient’s right to request to die especially when the patient has an incurable disease that would require extraordinary intervention. We do not, however, support the termination of ordinary treatment such as pain modifiers, antibiotics, food or water. With pain medications available to doctors today, 99{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of pain is treatable.In general, arguments in favour of active euthanasia are insufficient to weaken society’s prohibition of intentional killing. We look at quality of life as an intrinsic value and not a qualitative value judged by a second party. We look upon active euthanasia prohibition as the cornerstone of law and of social relationships. It protects each one of us impartially, embodying the belief that all are created equal. We do not wish for protection to be diminished, and we therefore recommend that there should be no change in the law to permit active euthanasia.Finally, we at DFL do not believe that it is possible to set secure limits on voluntary euthanasia. Involuntary euthanasia based on contemporary social evaluations of age (young or old), competence, illness, race, genetic differences would be subject to rampant abuses. It would be next to impossible to ensure that all acts of euthanasia were truly voluntary, and that any liberalization of the law was not abused. Moreover, to create an exception to the general prohibition of intentional killing would inevitably open the way to its further erosion, whether by design, by inadvertence or by the human tendency to test the limits of any regulation.The road to active euthanasia starts with an attitude shift in the medical community. Daniel Callahan in his book What Kind of Life: The Limits of Medical Progress criticized contemporary medicine for shifting its focus from care to cure: ‘The primary assurance we all require is that we will be cared for in our sickness regardless of the likelihood of cure…The greatest failure of contemporary healthcare is that it has tended to overlook this point, has become distracted fro it by the glamour of cure and the war against illness and death. At the center of caring should be commitment never to avert its eyes from, or wash its hands of, someone who is in pain or is suffering, who is disabled or incompetent, who is retarded or demented.]]>
Orison Pictures
Doctors For Life Videos Production To purchase any of the following educational productions, give us a call on +27(32)4815550, or contact us by email at Orison Pictures All costs excl. postage. If you accept our quote, you can send us the Proof of Payment and we will post the package to you ASAP. Acc Name: Doctors for Life Trust Acc Nr: 4058 3559 46 ABSA Bank, Umhlanga (632005) Swift Code (for international payments): ABSAZAJJ Proprietor: DFL Trading (PTY) Ltd Reg Nr: 2003-00214-07 Directors: Dr A van Eeden Dr AQ Mngadi Dr EM Combrink To download the Orison Order Form click the link
| Video Description |
| In Your Face (2004): In this contemporary and no-holds-barred film, the brutal facts about HIV/AIDS and its associated lifestyle come through loud and clear. Cutting through the murky tide of ideas and conflicting messages, this film gives meaningful advice on the medical and moral dilemmas AIDS poses, while offering a powerful and practical solution. 30 minutes that exposes the truth… In your Face. Running Time: approximately 30 min SA: Languages: English & Zulu EU: Deutsch, French,Russian,Nederlands&Eng. Nam: Languages: Ovambo,Herero & English Target Age: 13-25 yrs DVD – R150 (VAT incl. and excl. postage) |  |
| Ingcluaza Nomndeni (AIDS vs. the Family) (2006): In the US and Europe, HIV/AIDS is a chronic disease. In Africa, it’s devastating. It is shaking the very foundation of society – the family. Those who suffer can least afford it – the poor and uneducated. In this sober and simple film featuring HIV-specialist Dr Koleka Mlisana, the disease is brought into context in easily understood terms, covering everything you need to know about HIV/AIDS while promoting solid family values and a healthy lifestyle. Running Time: approximately 48 min Languages: Zulu (English subtitles) Target Age: 25+ yrs DVD – R150 (VAT incl. and excl. postage) |  |
| AIDS against the Family (2001) AIDS is attacking the family. This video includes a message about abstinance before marriage and fidelity within marriage; it explains in clear terms the causes and consequences of careless lifestyles and encourages fathers to fulfill their God-ordained position in the family. It is suitable for all categories of industrial workers, students and adults. Running Time: approximately 25 min Languages: English,Zulu,Afrikaans,Sotho & Portuguese Target Age: 25+ yrs DVD – R120 (VAT incl. and excl. postage) |  |
| Home Based Care Techniques (2001): Leave the comforts of South Africa’s well-developed cities, enter its rural villages and you are plunged into a poverty-stricken society weeping over its dying. The utter helplessness of an illiterate woman faced with caring for her terminal husband can hardly be expressed. DFL’s Home Based Care Program changes this hopeless situation into a time of reconciliation, love and closure, by creating a support-group and empowering people to care for those dying of AIDS. Using this simple, comprehensive and practical training program, Home Based Care has extended the lives of thousands. Running Time: approximately 80 min Languages: Zulu & English Target Age: 25+ yrs DVD – R150 (VAT incl. and excl. postage) |  |
| All about Abortion (2005) Induced Abortion is the most common invasive procedure in medicine today. It is not a life-saving operation, but a way out of a social problem. While it may appear to be a quick solution, most women have no idea what they’re getting themselves into. The physical and psychological aftermath can be devastating. For anyone faced with the very real crisis of an unplanned pregnancy, it is vital to make an informed and moral decision. All about Abortion unveils the miracle of life, answers the central question of when life begins, and offers sensible, sound advice to this difficult and controversial dilemma. Running Time: approximately 60 min Languages: English Target Age: 15+ yrs DVD – R120 (VAT incl. and excl. postage) |  |
Life Place
Prostitution is not a job which anyone deserves. Despite what many may tell you, it is not a job regardless of the physical location in which it occurs (street, brothel, massage parlor, car, private home, strip club, restaurant etc). Prostitution is inherently harmful to all those that cross its path, from the individual that is engaging in the act to the society as a whole. Those involved in Prostitution are mostly recruited from the section of society that have suffered the most setbacks in life, including being deprived of their self-respect at an early age. Many are victims of sexual abuse in their family home or rape. To be able to cope with the memories of their past hurts and the harsh work they are involved in, many turn to alcohol and drugs. The prostitute often ends up penniless, alone and either dead in a gutter from violent crime or in a hovel laying in a bed dying of an AIDS related illness. This is unless they get the help the need before it is too late. Life Place is about giving those that are trapped in the world of prostitution a lifeline to leave the business and at all it entails behind. This website will tell you all you need to know about prostitution, its harmful effects and what Doctors For Life has been doing to eradicate this practice. As well as what you can do to help us in our fight to save the men, women and children involved in prostitution.
If you are involved in any form of prostitution or know someone who is involved in prostitution, please let us help youHelpline +27 (0) 79 046 4200 Telephone: +27 (0) 31 368 4938 Email: [email protected]