Croatia – Anti-abortion march draws twenty thousand
No news today
Canada – Ontario passes assisted dying law
USA – Existential distress’, not pain, drives euthanasia
USA – Cheap, effective alternative to IVF is possible
UK – IVF vs natural conception: babies have same cognitive ability
USA – Unexpected mutations after CRISPR gene-editing
No news today
USA – Is the media encouraging hate
USA – Children are too young to consent to transgenderismUSA – Homosexual Teens with HIV make up 92{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}
USA – Disturbing Link between Sex Trafficking and Abortion
USA – New legislation to prevent sex trafficking USA – Activist to combat sex trafficking with billboard campaignUK – Cannabis is reaffirmed as gateway drug
Abortion
Croatia – Anti-abortion march draws twenty thousand
According to organizers this march was to “draw attention to respect of every human life – from conception to natural death”. Under a law dating back to 1978, when Croatia was still part of the communist Yugoslavia, abortion is legal until the 10th week of pregnancy. The constitutional court also ordered parliament to adopt a new law on abortion regulations within the next two years, ruling that the current legislation was outdated. Nearly 90{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of Croatia’s population of 4.2 million is Roman Catholics.
http://www.news24.com/World/News/croatia-anti-abortion-march-draws-20-000-20170521
Alternative Medicine
No news today
Euthanasia
Canada – Ontario passes assisted dying law
Lawmakers have voted in favour of what is known as “Bill 84” – a bill that amends several Ontario laws that potentially impede the implementation of federal law on euthanasia. A group of Ontario-based healthcare professionals held a press conference at the Ontario Legislative Building early this week, telling reporters that this law could force practitioners to leave the profession because of their conscientious objection to euthanasia.
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/ontario-passes-assisted-dying-law/12312#disqus_thread
USA – Existential distress’, not pain, drives euthanasia
According to Madeline Li principal author of a study, and other researchers, in the New England Journal of Medicine, the primary reason why patients requested assisted dying was to relieve “existential distress”. But in an article in the Medical Journal of Australia, American bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel argued that the presence of existential distress in assisted dying cases counts as a reason not to legalise euthanasia: “What is then the great impetus to legalise interventions to end lives for a small minority of patients who are depressed, worried about losing autonomy and being tired of life? We should end the focus on the media frenzy about euthanasia and Physician Assisted suicide as if it were the panacea to improving end-of-life care.”
https://www.mercatornet.com/careful/view/existential-distress-not-pain-drives-euthanasia/19881 http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms1700606
https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2017/206/8/euthanasia-and-physician-assisted-suicide-focus-data
IVF&Surrogacy
USA – Cheap, effective alternative to IVF is possible
A 100-year-old medical technique of flushing a woman’s fallopian tubes with iodized poppy seed oil has proven to have significant benefits for fertility, according to research in the New England Journal of Medicine. Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is a dye test of the fallopian tubes conducted under X-ray first carried out in 1917. “In our study, 40{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of women undergoing HSG with an oil-based contrast achieved a successful pregnancy within six months said Professor Mol.” “Our results have been even more exciting than we could have predicted, helping to confirm that an age-old medical technique still has an important place in modern medicine,” he said. The oil-based product used in the study was Lipiodol® Ultra-Fluid, an iodized solution of fatty acids from poppy seeds. This product is currently available in 47 countries around the world.
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/cheap-effective-alternative-to-ivf-may-be-possible/12305
UK – IVF vs natural conception: babies have same cognitive ability
A new study by researchers from Oxford University suggests that IVF babies have the same cognitive ability as naturally-conceived children. Sociology Professor Melinda Mills studied data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative group of 18,552 families. Over 12,000 children were part of the study (150-180 through IVF), with cognitive ability tests performed at 3, 5, 7 and 11 years. The researchers found that, in early years, the IVF-conceived children actually scored higher on the tests, with the disparity narrowing in later years of development. “The findings suggest that the positive effect of the family background of children conceived through artificial reproduction techniques “overrides” the risks of related poor health impairing their cognitive ability,” said professor Mills.
Medical Ethics
USA – Unexpected mutations after CRISPR gene-editing
A study by investigators at Columbia University Medical Center suggests that CRISPR gene-editing technology can introduce hundreds of unintended mutations into the human genome. According to Kellie Schaefer, a Stanford co-author of the study, the genomes of two independent gene therapy recipients had sustained more than 1,500 single-nucleotide mutations and 100 larger deletions and insertions. Dr. Stephen Tsang, geneticist and co-author of the study said “Researchers who aren’t using whole genome sequencing to find off-target effects may be missing potentially important mutations”. “Even a single nucleotide change can have a huge impact.” The researchers remained positive about CRISPR technology but suggest that whole-genome sequencing should be used to determine the safety and accuracy of their CRISPR gene-editing methods.
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/unexpected-mutations-after-crispr-gene-editing-experiments/12330
Pedophilia
No news today
Pornography
UK – Theresa May to create new internet controlled by government
Prime Minister Theresa May, is planning to introduce regulations allowing the government to decide what is said and watched online. The plans will allow Britain to become the global leader in the regulation of the use of personal data and the internet. It comes just soon after the Investigatory Powers Act came into law. That legislation allowed the government to force internet companies to keep records on their customers’ browsing histories, as well as giving ministers the power to break apps like WhatsApp so that messages can be read. This is to ensure that there is no “safe space for terrorists to be able to communicate online”. The new rules will make it harder than ever to access pornographic websites.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/theresa-may-internet-conservatives-government-a7744176.html
USA – Florida Authorities Demolish Child Porn Devices
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement demolished dozens of confiscated electronics that once produced or shared child porn. “Operation Crush Cyber Crime” smashed all evidence that has been used in the successful prosecution of child predators in the region. According to a Florida statute, all evidence that once held child pornography must be destroyed after prosecution. Some seized evidence without explicit images can be donated. Officials say the agency investigated 53 cases in central Florida and about 117 cases are pending.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/florida/articles/2017-05-18/florida-authorities-demolish-child-porn-devices
USA – State lawmakers want to crack down on child porn requests
It’s not against Wisconsin law to ask for nude photos from children, but two Republican state lawmakers say it should be. Rep. Andre Jacque and Sen. Van Wanggaard are circulating a bill that would make it a crime for adults to solicit nude or sexually explicit photos. Jacque says current law allows sexual predators to groom children over an extended period of time, often without getting in trouble until they actually gain possession of child pornography. Under the bill, an adult who solicits an “intimate or private representation” from someone under age 18 could face a maximum fine of $10,000 and up to nine months in jail. Individuals who attempts to obtain child pornography can also be charged under federal laws.
http://www.hngnews.com/sun_prairie_star/news/article_04c78ee4-3b06-11e7-b101-73d46d38acd6.html
USA – Views differ on making child pornography an act of violence
The highest court in West Virginia ruled to make the distribution and exhibition of child pornography an act of violence because the person exploited in child pornography is hurt every time that image is shown, according to Maryland Del. Brett Wilson who has prosecuted many of the county’s sexual abuse cases. Child pornography can cause real damage to the subject. The ruling means that a child pornography defendant who is deemed incompetent to stand trial can remain under the trial court’s jurisdiction for more than 50 years for appropriate treatment and supervision. District Attorney Matt Fogal said that victims of child pornography also suffer from knowing that their images can be traded and viewed worldwide is irretrievable and can continue to circulate forever.
http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/local/views-differ-on-making-child-pornography-an-act-of-violence/article_2ba90316-3d91-11e7-ba8d-ab1831a59b47.html
Same Sex Attraction
USA – Is the media encouraging hate
Ben Shapiro is a political commentator, nationally syndicated columnist, author, radio talk show host, and attorney who argues why we shouldn’t see it as being courageous when someone comes out about being homosexual and that the media should stop making it a big deal. This interview with Ben was based on Michael Sam an American Football player for the NFL whose story the media used to create a milestone. Ben said the media is portraying homosexuality and “coming out” as an act of heroism and using it to create the impression that there are all these people that hate homosexuals when in reality this is not true. Even the football player himself said it’s no big deal. The media makes it seem that the vast majority of the population is against homosexuals and therefore creating fear. The FBI statistics show that they’re about the same number of attacks on Jews in the country as there are on homosexuals and this is not a country that discriminates against Jews or homosexuals. The more casually people treat homosexuals as opposed to a nation-wide celebration, they won’t have to feel like there’s this mythical challenge they have to face from conservative establishments or this phantom discrimination they have to overcome.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=812VJQvBBPY
USA – Children are too young to consent to transgenderism
Does it make any sense to believe that children fourteen and younger can consent to puberty blockers, toxic sex hormones, and mutilating sex reassignment surgery when they can’t even cross the street safely? A report from the National Center for Statistics and Analysis finds more than 200 children under the age of fourteen, died in the US in 2014 after being struck by a car. Another 8,000 suffered injuries. Michelle Cretella, president of the American College of Paediatricians pointed out that cognitive immaturity during adolescence has always been obvious, that’s why society has age restrictions for consenting to medical procedures, driving, voting and joining the military. It becomes clear that Pro-LGBT medical institutions like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) ignore these scientific facts and are not concerned for the well being of these children.
https://world.wng.org/2017/05/too_young_to_cross_a_street_but_old_enough_for_a_sex_change
USA – Homosexual Teens with HIV make up 92{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}
A new report called “HIV Among Gay and Bisexual Men” by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows more than 9 in 10 new HIV cases among men and boys ages 13 to 24 in the U.S. occur among homosexuals and bisexuals. This report offers clear evidence of how extreme the health risks are for homosexual sex. Dr. Michelle Cretella, president of the American College of Paediatricians (ACPeds) said these facts need to reach the youth taking sex-ed classes across the country. But too often politically correct teachers and sex-ed curricula downplay the risks linked to homosexuality. “These statistics are proof that ‘comprehensive sex education’ aimed at promoting condoms among youth has not worked,” she said. “Even when used perfectly correctly, condoms and lubricants cannot make anal sex, an inherently traumatic act, safe. Our children deserve to know the truth. Their health and very lives depend upon it.” Texas pro-family education activist Donna Garner agreed and said “Students need to be told of the huge risks that follow their choice to participate in LGBT sexual activities; and if schools offer sex education courses, they need to state clearly the medical, psychological, and emotional dangers of choosing the LGBT lifestyle.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/gay-teens-make-up-92-percent-of-hiv-cases-in-their-age-group
Sexual Exploitation
USA – Disturbing Link between Sex Trafficking and Abortion
The prevalence of forced abortions is an especially disturbing trend in sex trafficking said Laura J. Lederer, the Senior Adviser on Trafficking for the US State Department. What has often been ignored by the media is the link between forced prostitution and forced abortion. In their groundbreaking study ‘The Health Consequences of Sex Trafficking and Their Implications for Identifying Victims in Healthcare Facilities’, Laura J. Lederer and Christopher A. Wetzel examined the stories of sixty-six victims of sex trafficking. They found that fifty-five percent of these women had undergone at least one abortion while being trafficked and more than thirty percent underwent multiple abortions.
USA – New legislation to prevent sex trafficking
Anti-trafficking leaders and organizations from around the world namely; the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Exodus Cry, the National Centre for Sexual Exploitation and Shared Hope International are calling on legislators to include an important sex trafficking demand reduction provision. Bill HR466 amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and states that if a government has the authority to prohibit the purchase of commercial sex acts, but fails to do so, it shall be deemed a failure to make serious and sustained efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts, irrespective of other efforts the government may have made. This important change will make a country’s efforts to combat demand for prostitution a meaningful part of the State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Annual Report in which countries around the world are assessed and ranked. Linda Smith, Shared Hope International President and Founder stated that demand is at the heart of sex trafficking – without a buyer there would be no seller, no victim and the Act affirms this link and would expose those nations taking a backseat in combating this force that drives sex trafficking markets.
http://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/new-legislation-seeks-prevent-sex-trafficking/
USA – Activist to combat sex trafficking with billboard campaign
A new billboard has appeared in Wisconsin directly opposite a “sex store” and it proclaims: “Sex Trafficking: Porn Creates Demand.” The billboard is part of NCOSE’s City Blitz campaign, which raises awareness in cities across the country about the harms of pornography, including links to other forms of sexual exploitation and the disintegration of the family. This billboard is sponsored by 5-Stones, a non-profit organization that combats sex trafficking through their “five stones” of awareness, education, prevention, networking and collaboration. It has caused a stir from the store and its patrons who took offense to the message and complained about the “church people” who were doing them. Despite the negative feedback, the campaign hopes to get people to do some self analyzing regarding behaviours at home and private lives as well.
http://endsexualexploitation.org/cityblitz/
Substance Abuse
UK – Cannabis is reaffirmed as gateway drug
Teenagers who regularly smoke cannabis are 26 times more likely to turn to other drugs by the age of 21. The study of the lives of more than 5,000 teenagers produced resounding evidence that cannabis is a gateway to cocaine, amphetamines, hallucinogens and heroin. It also discovered that teenage cannabis smokers are 37 times more likely to be hooked on nicotine and three times more likely to be problem drinkers than non-users of the drug. The findings from Bristol University, led by Dr Michelle Taylor, provide authoritative support for those warning against the liberalization of drugs laws. Medical researchers have argued for years that cannabis is far from harmless and instead carries serious mental health risks. The Bristol evidence was gathered from a long-term survey and large UK cohort followed from birth, the’ Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children’. The survey was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4582548/Proof-cannabis-DOES-lead-teenagers-harder-drugs.html
Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International
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