USA – Trump Signs Bill to Overturn Obama Rule
USA – “Lumberjacks for Life” empower pregnant and parenting students
Canada – $300 Abortion drug for free
USA – University puts abortion pills in vending machine
Nigeria – Benefits of traditional medicine bill
Canada – Nearly eight in ten Canadians have used alternative medicines
Belgium – Catholic psychiatric hospitals ‘adjust’ view of euthanasia
Singapore – Court says parents deserve children with their own genes
UK – The IVF side effect that clinics hush up
USA – FDA green-lights more 23andMe genetic tests
USA – Transplant ethics for the 21st Century
Belgium – Euthanized organ donors can shorten waitlists say doctors
No news today
USA – Nebraska Rejects pro-LGBT bill
Australia – Becoming transgender for attention
USA – Arguments that defeated the Pro-LGBT Bill
South Africa – How many men visit sex workers?
New Zealand – Tensions between street-based prostitutes and communities
USA – Protecting our children: Born addicted
Abortion
USA – Trump Signs Bill to Overturn Obama Rule
The rule of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) prevented states from blocking Title X funding to abortion companies like Planned Parenthood. After the House first passed the measure, the Senate voted 50-50 for the bill. The tie vote made it so pro-life Vice-President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote to approve the measure. Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said: “The resolution signed simply ensures that states are not forced to fund an abortion business with taxpayer dollars. Rather, states have the option to spend Title X money on comprehensive health care clinics that better serve women and girls.”
USA – “Lumberjacks for Life” empower pregnant and parenting students
The Pro-Life student group, Lumberjacks for Life, works to bring the culture of life to their community. In 2009, Lumberjacks for Life embarked on an exciting initiative when they became the first Pro-Life group in Texas to establish a scholarship for pregnant and parenting students. Jessica Michalowski explained, “The recipient of the scholarship can be female or male. We distribute this scholarship to someone whom we feel needs it. They choose to keep going to college while being parents. To us that is so important because it is hard to do and to balance.” Knowing that their peers recognize their struggles and support them can make a tremendous difference in a pregnant or parenting students’ decision to finish their education.
Canada – $300 Abortion drug for free
The New Brunswick government has announced it will provide the controversial abortion pill combination Mifegymiso free of charge. “By making Mifegymiso available free of charge for all New Brunswick women, our government is ensuring that financial barriers do not stand in the way of a woman’s right to choose,” said Health Minister Victor Boudreau. Surgical abortions are covered by the provincial health plan, but usually drugs are not. “This is very sad news that the region of Canada that has shown the greatest respect for life is now showing the greatest hostility to it,” said Jack Fonseca of the Campaign Life Coalition.
http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=21077
USA – University puts abortion pills in vending machine
A California university’s decision to make abortifacient drugs available to students via a “Wellness to Go” vending machine, has prompted criticism from pro-life and family groups. It dispenses the Plan B drug, also known as the “morning after pill” along with Advil, tampons, pregnancy tests and condoms. “Colleges and universities should be offering pregnant and parenting students options of housing, financial aid, diaper decks, and childcare instead of handing over abortion drugs,” Students for Life Executive Director Kristan Hawkins said. The “Wellness to Go” machine was the product of two years’ efforts by former student Parteek Singh. The vending machine makes the California university one of about four campuses nationally to offer similar emergency contraception.
Alternative Medicine
Nigeria – Benefits of traditional medicine bill
The President of the Nigerian Council of Physicians of Natural Medicine, Prof Magnus Adeyemihas has said that traditional medicine practitioners have been waiting for regulatory laws for over two decades. A new Bill, when passed, will address regulation, quackery, advertising and qualifications and will also open a new vista for traditional/complementary medicine, including foreign exchange. A significant subject that the bill will address is the issue of the intellectual property rights. The systemic failure of not properly acknowledging persons, traditions and practices of communities where they originated will be addressed by the bill.
http://thenationonlineng.net/benefits-traditional-medicine-bill/
Canada – Nearly eight in ten Canadians have used alternative medicines
More and more Canadians are using complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) and therapies such as massage, yoga, acupuncture and chiropractic care, and they’re using them more frequently, finds a new survey by Nadeem Esmail, Fraser Institute senior fellow and co-author of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The updated survey of 2,000 Canadians finds more than three-quarters of Canadians, 79 per cent, have used at least one CAM or therapy sometime in their lives. That’s an increase from 74 per cent in 2006 and 73 per cent in 1997, when two previous similar surveys were conducted.
Euthanasia
Belgium – Catholic psychiatric hospitals ‘adjust’ view of euthanasia
One of the last substantial barriers of euthanasia cases for non-terminally-ill psychiatric patients in Belgium seems to have crumbled. In a statement posted on their website the Brothers of Charity explain, “We take seriously unbearable and hopeless suffering and patients’ requests for euthanasia. On the other hand, we do want to protect lives and ensure that euthanasia is performed only if there is no more possibility to provide a reasonable perspective to treat the patient”. Euthanasia for psychiatric patients has already happened dozens of times in Belgium. But from now on it will probably be easier for people suffering from schizophrenia, personality disorders, depression, autism, or loneliness to access it.
IVF&Surrogacy
Singapore – Court says parents deserve children with their own genes
A court ruled that parents have a strong interest in genetic affinity with their children in a decision regarding a couple who had their gametes mixed up with a donor sperm when undergoing IVF with Singaporean company Thompson Medical. While the court was careful not base the decision on the controversial notion of “wrongful birth”, it did acknowledge the parents had a strong interest in being genetically related to their children, and Thomson Medical had violated this interest. Thomson was ordered to pay damages – including 30{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of the child’s upkeep costs till 21. Ethicist G. Owen Schaefer from the National University of Singapore said the decision may have far-reaching implications for future cases involving negligence and assisted reproduction.
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/parents-deserve-kids-with-their-own-genes-singapore-court/12262
UK – The IVF side effect that clinics hush up
Doctors are legally obliged to report “severe” cases of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), when IVF drugs cause women’s ovaries to expand dangerously. In one year, clinics reported just 16 cases but there had been almost 700 emergency hospital admissions for the condition and at least four women died. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) Chairman Sally Cheshire said they are “very concerned” fertility doctors might be under-reporting and MPs called for a legislation overhaul to protect women. IVF expert Dr John Parsons, retired consultant at King’s College Hospital, said: “The definition of ‘severe’ is so vague. If the HFEA wants a true picture of OHSS it should insist that clinics report all cases when the patient has to be hospitalized.”
http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/family/pregnancy/the-ivf-side-effect-that-uk-clinics-hush-up-8949376
Medical Ethics
USA – FDA green-lights more 23andMe genetic tests
The US Food and Drug Administration will allow genetic testing company 23andMe to market tests for 10 serious disease and conditions, in a move that marks an about-face on the 2013 moratorium. The screening services are the first direct-to-consumer tests authorized by the FDA that provide information on an individual’s genetic predisposition to medical diseases or conditions. While some have welcomed the FDA approval, others are wary of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Speaking with the New York Times, James Beck, chief scientific officer of the Parkinson’s Foundation, said the decision set a dangerous precedent for the disclosure of information without prior genetic counseling. “Once you get the test and read the results, there is no going back,” Dr. Beck said.
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/fda-green-lights-more-23andme-genetic-tests/12259
USA – Transplant ethics for the 21st Century
Bioethicists Arthur Caplan and Duncan Purves explore the novel ethical questions arising from the “quiet revolution” in human organ transplantation in the Journal of Medical Ethics. New techniques include uterus, penis and larynx transplantations, and soon, attempts to transplant testicle, ovary and fallopian tubes. “Novel forms of transplantation carry with them all of the risks of reconstructive surgery like death from anesthesia and post-surgery complications like infection, but also increase the risk of infection because they rely on immunosuppressives, with long-term cancer risk and organ failure. Because the threat to quantity of life is so great in the transplant context, special attention must be paid to ensure that the expected improvements in quality of life are sufficient to outweigh it.”
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/transplant-ethics-for-the-21st-century/12272
Belgium – Euthanized organ donors can shorten waitlists say doctors
Belgian physicians argue in JAMA that encouraging organ donation after euthanasia will reduce organ waitlists. An estimated 10.1{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of all patients undergoing euthanasia could potentially donate at least 1 organ. However, they acknowledge that this novel method has its limitations. Patients need to agree to donate their organs and have to die in hospital settings, while people prefer to die at home. Organ donation after euthanasia, they say, is only allowed in Belgium and the Netherlands, and is uncommon, but it may be happening in Canada as well. The article does not take into account the type of patient who undergoes euthanasia. But if euthanasia becomes common for psychiatric conditions younger patients might expand the pool of organs.
Pedophilia
No news today
Pornography
Spain – Police break up international child porn chat network
An international law enforcement crackdown on a network that allegedly distributed child pornography via popular online chat application WhatsApp resulted in the arrests of over three dozen people in 10 countries. The network operated some 100 chat groups with 135 identified users in Europe, Central and South America, a statement issued by Spanish police said. Files retrieved during an investigation conducted in coordination with Interpol and Europol depicted images of children up to 8 years old being brutally abused. Steven Wilson, head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Center, told the Associated Press that Spanish police discovered a group of individuals using closed groups in the chat application to distribute the pornographic material. Police had intercepted 360,000 files so far.
Philippines – Porn’s disastrous effect on our youth
The Philippine Commission on Population discovered from respondent’s data that pornography is driving the youth toward earlier sexual activity. With the country experiencing rising rates of teenage pregnancy plus an alarming increase in HIV infections, policymakers would do well to incorporate a serious, intensified crackdown on pornography in their programs. Studies across the world have shown the numerous negative consequences of porn use – addiction, sexual dysfunction, destruction of marital relations, escalation to more violent and degrading forms of pornography, and contribution to worldwide human trafficking. Pornography is a $97-billion industry, $3 billion of which is revenue from child pornography. The Philippines still has cinemas that specialize in porn films while the most popular magazine is a soft-porn publication.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/opinion/letter_to_editor/30312504
Same Sex Attraction
USA – Nebraska Rejects pro-LGBT bill
Nebraska joined 14 other states and 70 cities that rejected the LB 173 bill that would add ‘’sexual orientation’’ and ‘’gender identity’’ to the state’s employment non-discrimination laws. According to the Liberty Counsel that rejected the bill, it has only been used to demand lawsuits and actions that target and criminalise anyone who is against homosexuality. While it is wrong to force homosexuals into intimate situations with the opposite sex, it is also wrong to force people to deny their moral convictions on human sexuality. Despite pressure from the LGBT lobby, a group called Mass Resistance went from town to town across the state, educating citizens and business owners about the bill. The legislative leadership got the message and stopped it.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/nebraska-rejects-pro-lgbtq-bill-enacts-first-pro-life-law-since-2011
Australia – Becoming transgender for attention
One of Australia’s top gender experts, psychiatrist Stephen Stathis, said that he had concerns that teens are over diagnosed as transgender. Adolescents are ‘’trying it out to be transgender’’ to stand out or gain attention from their peers. Dr. Stephen said one child said ‘’Dr. Steve … I want to be transgender, it’s the new black’’ Before he prescribes hormone-blockers, Stathis requires children and adolescents to undergo intensive mental-health screenings with multiple psychiatrists. They also must show that they have “socially transitioned” to their preferred gender for at least six months.
https://heatst.com/culture-wars/gender-expert-teens-are-trying-to-be-transgender-because-its-trendy/
USA – Arguments that defeated Pro-LGBT Bill
This article link has an audio attached of a US Senate Committee hearing where Mass Resistance Colorado and other Pro-family groups expressed very strong arguments that got Colorado bill, H17-1156, rejected. The bill is part of a big push by the radical LGBT lobby in state legislatures across the country. It would deny needed therapy for children who were sexually molested or had unwanted homosexual or transgender psychological issues. Doctor Robyn Patterson representing Colorado Mass Resistance testified to schools having asked 11 year old children to self identify their sexual orientation and gender perception for posters that would hang outside the classroom in the passage. Another classroom had links to graphic porn including bestiality and orgies embedded in social study lessons. A 12 year old child was exposed to an art lesson with stick figures depicting men in sexual poses to show children about homosexual practises and promote the concept of promiscuity as ‘’an act of friendship and love’’. Who will teach these children the truth about promiscuity and that it’s a one way trip to contracting a variety of sexually transmitted diseases? All this was done without informing the parents and blocking any attempt to give therapy to children who might need it after being exposed to such graphic material.
The Colorado schools were found to knowingly distribute obscene content that welcomed BDSM play to children, instructions for DIY sex toys and links to hardcore porn through online information services such as Elton B. Stephens Co (EBSCO). The National Centre on Sexual Exploitation recently named EBSCO to its Dirty Dozen list as a major contributor to the sexual exploitation of women and children. Megan Molaneric a sexual abuse survivor said everyone would agree that children struggling with anger, loneliness, depression, suicidal thoughts, PTSD or any kind of mental disturbance or unwanted desires should be able to seek help. Most children who seek help for unwanted same-sex attractions are victims of sexual abuse, rape or over-exposure to pornography. She said that when she was raped at 7 years old by her 9 year old cousin (whom she believes was also molested) she struggled with unwanted and all types of sexual desires and PTSD symptoms.
The United States Department of Justice stated that more than 62,000 children were sexually abused in 2012 alone and has estimated that these numbers have gone up every year since. Drew Patterson testifying as a concerned father pointed out that the LGBT community has demanded that society and the government stay out of their relationships, homes and bedrooms. Society has largely done so, now it seems that the LGBT lobby is doing the very thing it asked society not to do. He said the LGBT community is interfering with the most important relationship, that between a parent and their child. Parents alone have the right in consultation with their child’s physician to determine the right method and course of any suggested therapy. It’s not for the LGBT movement or the government to attempt to deny any form of treatment recommended by a licensed professional. It was pointed out that the Bill only supports therapy in favour of LGBT transition and not for a child that wishes to go in the opposite direction.
Click link for audio:
http://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen3/17b/MR-CO-vs-anti-therapy-032217/index.html
Sexual Exploitation
South Africa – How many men visit sex workers?
The Citizen reports that a Johannesburg sex worker makes between R3 000 and R4 000 a month, charging R100 for straight sex. An Advocacy group estimates that there are between 31 000 and 94 000 sex workers in Gauteng, with the majority being black South African women and a significant percentage from Zimbabwe. The Cheating website found that 80{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of men will book a sex worker for one hour to “get it over and done with as quickly as possible”. And 50.1{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of men find the experience unsatisfying because the prostitute “lacked enthusiasm”, while 26.3{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} said the escort was less attractive than her picture suggested.
New Zealand – Tensions between street-based prostitutes and communities
Better understanding tensions between street-based prostitutes and communities are part of a new study by Associate Professor Gillian Abe of the University of Otago, Christchurch, into the impact of decriminalization on the country. Research carried out before decriminalization found 57 per cent of street-based prostitutes surveyed said they started before age 18. Fewer than 10 per cent of this group reported being forced into prostitution, compared to 2 per cent of those over 18 years. Many young prostitutes pay minders, boyfriends or pimps a portion of their money. The Lottery Commission funded research will look at the relationship between prostitutes and their pimps and whether coercion to work happens.
http://www.otago.ac.nz/news/news/otago645234.html
Substance Abuse
USA – Protecting our children: Born addicted
Treating an infant born addicted to the drugs its mother was using was a rare occurrence 20 years ago. Dr. John Chan, head of Conemaugh Medical Centre’s neonatal/prenatal medicine unit, has watched the number of drug-addicted babies grow from a few a year to several each week. “Every year we’re going up,” he said. A statewide analysis by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council found that hospital stays for newborns diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) rose 870 percent between 2000 and 2015, increasing from 1.6 to 16.0 per 1,000 neonatal stays. A lot of these babies are born to mothers addicted to methadone, a drug often given to them as a substitute to heroin. Methadone substitution therapy has become ever more controversial, especially in countries like Scotland where studies have indicated millions of taxpayer pounds are spent “parking” heroin addicts on free methadone treatment with little positive results. This comes at a time when celebrities and pro-drug lobbying groups are pushing to decriminalize/legalise drugs across the world with much being said about ‘the drug addicts rights’ while touting that using drugs is a private matter. Babies being dumped into addiction while still in the mothers’ womb clearly show it is not a private matter. What about the rights of these children? The question that should be asked is whether government should stand back while reckless parents force their own children into the hell of drug abuse right from the outset. Moreover, should governments encourage this behavior by providing free methadone to mothers?
http://www.mynbc5.com/article/methadone-babies-treatment-methods-explained/9247927
Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International
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