USA – Massachusetts Governor Signs Naturopathic Medicine Bill
Canada – More than 744 physician assisted deaths in Canada since new law USA – American psychiatrists speak out on euthanasia at last Canada – Bioethicists call for organ donor euthanasia
Netherlands – IVF clinics should do better Czechoslovakia – Women implanted with wrong embryos
UK – All boxes ticked, UK rolls out 3-parent embryo treatment
India – Sex offenders should be on national register
No news today
South Africa – Activists launch organization to protect family values USA – Survey reveals the struggle of transgender lifestyle USA – The homosexual lifestyle is way more violent
Germany – Politicians Want To Fund Sex Workers For Elderly and Disabled USA – Website blocks prostitution ads in the USA USA – Detroit Program Helps Women Exit Sex Work
Abortion
USA – Iowa Bill to Allow Women to Sue for Emotional Grief Iowa Senate File 26, sponsored by state Sen. Mark Chelgren, would expand medical malpractice provisions in the state to include mental distress caused by an abortion practitioner’s “negligence or failure to obtain informed consent prior to performance of the abortion.” A group of Iowa Democrats criticized the bill, saying the measure could make it more difficult for abortion practitioners to get medical malpractice insurance because of the increased liability. State Sen. Nate Boulton, said the bill would “run providers out of our state.” Whether such a law would withstand a legal challenge is difficult to say. http://www.lifenews.com/2017/01/18/iowa-bill-would-allow-women-to-sue-the-abortionist-for-emotional-grief-after-an-abortion/ Northern Ireland – 100,000 People Alive Today Because Abortion illegalSpokeswoman Dawn McAvoy of Both Lives Matter, a new collaborative movement of individuals and organisations seeking to reframe the abortion debate in Northern Ireland said: “There are people alive in Northern Ireland today who would not have been born if the 1967 Abortion Act had been introduced here.” The figure was calculated using termination rates across the rest of the UK. “Using a statistically cautious approach, we estimate there are 100,000 people alive today who would not be had we introduced the 1967 Abortion Act.” http://www.lifenews.com/2017/01/18/100000-people-are-alive-today-because-northern-ireland-didnt-legalize-abortion/
USA – Abortions Decline in the USA
Even as the election outcome intensifies America’s abortion debate, a comprehensive new survey finds the annual number of abortions in the U.S has dropped to well under 1 million, the lowest level since 1974. According to the Guttmacher Institute report, the abortion rate was 14.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44, the lowest rate since abortion was legalized nationally in 1973 by the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision. The decline was likely the result of two main factors: the increased availability of affordable, long-lasting contraceptives that have reduced unintended pregnancies, and the surge of abortion restrictions in many states that have forced some clinics to close and hindered many women’s access to the procedure.
Alternative Medicine
USA – Massachusetts Governor Signs Naturopathic Medicine Bill
Governor Baker added Massachusetts to the list of states that acknowledge the value of alternative healthcare from a qualified professional. The new law ensures patients can trust that their wellness professional holds a graduate degree from an accredited naturopathic medical school. Amy Rothenberg, N.D., and president of the Massachusetts Society of Naturopathic Doctors (MSND), says, “This law allows the people of Massachusetts access to well-educated and trained naturopathic doctors and their expertise in both preventative medicine and natural integrative care.” Under the new law, the terms Naturopathic Doctor and N.D. would be reserved exclusively for those who have attended four-year, post-graduate level programs at institutions recognized by the United States Department of Education.
Euthanasia
Canada – More than 744 physician assisted deaths in Canada since law
More than 744 terminally ill people chose to end their lives with the doctor’s help across Canada in 2016 and more are expected to follow as the procedure became legal. It seems, on average, that two Canadians per day had chosen to be euthanized between June 17 and December 16. “I know that it will increase. I expect that we’ll get to the point of the Netherlands and Belgium because their laws are similar to ours, and that would mean about 5 percent of all deaths,” stated Dr. Ellen Wiebe, a Vancouver doctor who has assisted 40 patients this year.
http://stocknewsusa.com/2016/12/29/744-doctor-assisted-deaths-canada-since-law-passed/
USA – American psychiatrists speak out on euthanasia at last
Euthanasia is allowed in Belgium and the Netherlands since early in the 21st century, and has expanded rapidly beyond cases of terminal physical illness, such as cancer, to encompass non-terminal illnesses including psychiatric conditions such as depression or bipolar disorder. The American Psychiatric Association (APA), in concert with the American Medical Association’s position on medical euthanasia, holds that a psychiatrist should not prescribe or administer any intervention to a non-terminally ill person for the purpose of causing death. Obviously, this is of little immediate practical effect in the United States, because non-terminal cases are not eligible for assisted death but given the potential slippery slope in this area, the APA statement lays down an important marker for the future.
Canada – Bioethicists call for organ donor euthanasia
Well, that didn’t take long, did it? Quebec bioethicists had already published an article in the Journal of Medical Ethics calling for organ donation after euthanasia. The author, Julie Allard and Marie-Chantal Fortin, at the University of Montreal, say, “MAID (medical aid in dying) has the potential to provide additional organs available for transplantation. Accepting to procure organ donation after MAID is a way to respect the autonomy of patients for whom organ donation is an important value. Organ donation after MAID would be ethically acceptable if the patient who has offered to donate is competent and not under any external pressure to choose MAID or organ donation”.
https://www.mercatornet.com/careful/view/canadian-bioethicists-call-for-organ-donor-euthanasia/19205 http://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2016/12/28/medethics-2016-103460.abstract
IVF&Surrogacy
Netherlands – IVF clinics should do better
University Medical Centre (UMC) in Utrecht has warned 26 women their eggs may have been fertilized with the wrong sperm. Nine have already given birth and four are pregnant. The embryos were created with ICSI, a popular method in Europe, although with a slightly elevated risk, where single sperm is injected into the egg with a very fine pipette. Jesper Smeenk, spokesman for the Dutch Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said that the mistake was rare. “I’m a little bit worried that the general population will have the idea that IVF is something that isn’t safe or hasn’t been safe or will not be safe anymore.” “In this case, a human error occurred because one person didn’t follow the protocols.”
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/dutch-ivf-clinic-tries-hard-could-do-better/12144
Czechoslovakia – Women implanted with wrong embryos
A procedure at an IVF clinic has resulted in two children in the wrong wombs. At Reprofit, a clinic which is popular with British couples, it was discovered that two foreign women had been implanted with an embryo meant for another couple. Under Czech law, the birth mother is the legal mother. “It was a human error, not a system failure,” said a clinic official. “The people who manipulated the embryos are suspended.”
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/dutch-ivf-clinic-tries-hard-could-do-better/12144
Medical Ethics
UK – All boxes ticked, UK rolls out 3-parent embryo treatment
The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority have given a green light to the creation of three-parent embryos to combat mitochondrial disease. The media was jubilant, with The Independent commenting it was “the best possible news for many families this Christmas.” However, Marcy Darnovsky, of the Center for Genetics and Society, in California, criticized the decision, describing it as a first step toward genetic engineering. “The HFEA decision is part of a disturbing trend toward the normalization of an experimental technology that is still widely considered unsafe, and whose implications for future generations are unknown. Allowing mitochondrial manipulation in humans could open the door to other forms of human inheritable genetic modification, banned in more than 40 countries worldwide.”
https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/all-boxes-ticked-uk-rolls-out-3-parent-embryo-treatment/12136
Pedophilia
India – Sex offenders should be on national register
Many countries, such as the United States, Britain and South Africa keep a record of people who have been convicted of paedophilia and rape. In India, Maneka Gandhi, the minister for women and child development said it’s been two years since she has suggested that the country make use of a register that keeps record of sex offenders as the above mentioned countries do. Currently Gandhi’s proposal is with Home Affairs which is planning a national register for all criminals including sex offenders to be kept. Latest data from India’s National crime records show 34,651 rapes were reported in 2015, a 36{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} increase from 22,172 reports in 2010.
Pornography
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Same Sex Attraction
South Africa – Activists launch organization to protect family values
The International Organization for the Family led and taken over by Brian Brown of the US’s National Organisation of Marriage along with international conservatives, signed a declaration in Cape Town on 10 December 2016, pledging to defend the institution of marriage from homosexual couples, uniting groups and leaders from over 20 countries which vow to resist pornography, adultery, divorce and every push to redefine marriage: including same-sex or group bonds, or sexually open or temporary ones. Names on the declaration include Russian politician Victor Zubarev, a member of Putin’s party that brought in an anti-gay propaganda law in 2014, and Errol Naidoo, a prominent opponent to homosexual behaviour in SA.
USA – Survey reveals the struggle of transgender lifestyle
The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) surveyed 27,715 transgender people in 2015 and analyzed their experiences. 47{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} had been sexually abused but no questions were asked to probe whether being sexually abused caused the lifestyle. 39{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} has serious psychological stress (8x the 5{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} rate of the average person). 40{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} attempted suicide, 9x more common than the average person (4.6{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}). The survey confirmed the very high rates of HIV infection: 5x the general population (1.4{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} vs. 0.3{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}). 12{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} prostituted themselves, 77{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} experienced partner violence and 30{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} experienced homelessness. Foundation for Moral Law Senior Counsel Col. John A. Eidsmoe said; “Whatever the cause and effect may be, we should think twice about adopting policies that could encourage people to enter into the transgender lifestyle.”
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/transgender-survey-reveals-high-rates-of-sexual-assault-suicide-hiv-prostit
USA – The homosexual lifestyle is way more violent
The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) report; The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey concluded that those in the homosexual lifestyle experience far greater violence among one another than heterosexual relationships, and homosexual women more than the men, of whom 44{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of women were raped, physically abused and stalked by their intimate partners. 37 percent of bisexual women indicated they were stalked, more than double the rate that heterosexual women from their male partners. 26 percent of homosexual men experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by their intimate partner’s bisexual men experience these types of assaults at a rate of 37 percent. Even though the government agency would not make an official determination that such early exposure to sexual violence was the cause of men and women ultimately choosing to engage in homosexual behaviour, the statistics themselves appear to point to such a connection. Even LGBT leaders have conceded that those in the homosexual community tend to ignore the prevalence of sexual violence between its members. National Center for Lesbian Rights Reproductive Justice Fellow Lauren Paulk admitted. “A particularly disturbing dynamic arises when the assaults are by other LGBT community members.” Paulk says that the LGBT community has rationalized or ignored such violence. “Denial, misrecognition and the dismissal of outside-the-community concern as hidden homophobia are examples of responses to sexual assault that occurs between members of the LGBT community.”
https://www.onenewsnow.com/culture/2015/12/13/cdc-report-homosexual-lifestyle-extremely-violent
Sexual Exploitation
Germany – Politicians Want to Fund Sex Workers For Elderly and Disabled
Germany’s Green Party wants its government to fund the services of sex workers for the elderly and the disabled, under the idea that the prescribed sexual relief would improve their quality of life. Elisabeth Scharfenber said she “could imagine” authorities funding “sexual assistance” for patients requiring nursing care with a medical condition that might benefit from sex. Karl Lauterbach of the governing Social Democrats said that Germany does not “need paid prostitution in homes for the elderly, and certainly not on prescription,” and the New York Times quotes the German Patient Protection Foundation as saying, “People who have to fight for help on basic matters such as washing and eating have other concerns.
http://www.glamour.com/story/german-sex-workers-funded-elderly-disabled
USA – Website blocks prostitution ads in the USA
Backpage.com, a large classified ad website notorious for facilitating prostitution and sex trafficking, blocked its prostitution ads in the U.S under mounting pressure for its role as a facilitator of sex trafficking. Backpage.com is one of the largest websites that hosts ads for the prostitution and sex trafficking of adults and children alike and has blocked its prostitution advertising in America. Its prostitution pages now greet visitors with the message: “The government has unconstitutionally censored this content.” This change occurred the night before the CEO and founders were scheduled to testify to the U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in their investigation into sex trafficking occurring on the website.
USA – Detroit Program Helps Women Exit Sex Work
The Detroit based Alternatives for Girls’ New Choices Project helps women exit prostitution but getting out of prostitution can be a challenge for career prostitutes, many of whom have criminal pasts and little professional work history..Celia Williamson, an assistant professor at the University of Toledo’s social work department, has researched street prostitution in various cities. The longer women are in prostitution, the harder it is to leave, especially since many women have cut ties with their families, she said. New Choices provides services such as life skills training, recreational and cultural activities, educational workshops, mentoring and counseling.
http://www.thebody.com/content/art27960.html
Substance Abuse
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Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International
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