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

Abortion Poland – Prime Minister backs call for full abortion ban Support is growing for a law that would ban abortion in Poland. The proposed law will end up in Parliament soon after pro-life activists gather 100,000 signatures of support. The new law gives legal protection to all children from the moment of conception. This would make all abortions illegal in Poland. The bill specifically states that the doctor who causes an unborn child’s death trying to save a woman’s life will not be punished. The focus of the proposed law is not punishing women who do have abortions. Instead, it increases punishment for abortionists and people who harm pregnant women and force them to abort by ruse or threat. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/polish-prime-minister-backs-call-for-full-abortion-ban USA – Missouri resolution to define a preborn baby as a person “As a former embryo myself, I want that protection for all embryos, present and future.” said Missouri State Representative Mike Moon in support of a resolution to protect preborn babies in the state constitution. The resolution proposed by Moon would send to Missouri voters a ballot initiative, asking them to approve a constitutional amendment formally recognizing preborn babies as human beings with the right to life. Prominent pro-life speaker and advocate Rebecca Kiessling, who was conceived in rape, testified in favour of the resolution, arguing “I deserved to be protected, and every child deserves that same protection, I’m going to do everything I can to protect others.” http://liveactionnews.org/missouri-considers-personhood-amendment-to-state-constitution/ USA – New York Abortions Drop 21{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} in Last Seven Years New York Vital Statistics for 2014 reveals that the number of abortions state-wide reached an all-time low since abortion was legalized in 1970. Monroe County is the only county with a consecutive seven year reduction with abortion falling sharply by 42{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}. One of the contributing factors in Monroe County’s sharp decline is the black community’s abortion rate. By 2014 the rate shrank to 28{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}. Jim Harden, President of CompassCare Pregnancy Services said, “Women have abortions because they feel like they have no choice. We give women back their true autonomy with ethical medical care and comprehensive community support.” http://www.lifenews.com/2016/04/05/new-york-abortions-drop-21-in-last-seven-years-to-reach-historic-low-as-more-babies-saved/ USA – Alabama House Define Unborn Baby as a Person Alabama legislators moved forward with a bill that would define a person as “any human being from the moment of fertilization” in the state constitution. Alabama State Rep. Ed Henry said, “I just believe it’s not a direct attack on abortion. But if Alabamians believe life begins at conception, then it does cause abortion to be in conflict with our values.” Dr. Jim Belyeu, a pro-life obstetrician testified in support of the bill, saying the unborn child is a “totally separate” entity from the mother. Several other states, including Missouri and Oklahoma are considering similar measures to define personhood in their state constitutions in an effort to protect unborn babies from abortions. http://www.lifenews.com/2016/04/13/alabama-house-committee-passes-bill-to-define-unborn-baby-as-a-person-and-ban-abortions/ Alternative Medicine India – Doctors warn diabetics against herbal drugs An article published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology has created a controversy regarding alternative medicine therapy to treat diabetes, with many in the medical fraternity stating that these therapies were more hype and less science. The article pointed out that the safety of ayurvedic preparations was a major concern. Ayurvedic medicines manufactured in the US and India contained detectable lead, mercury, or arsenic compounds, exceeding standards for acceptable daily intake of toxic metals. Dr Anil Bhoraskar, endocrinologist and scientific secretary of the Diabetes Association of India, said, “Certain herbal drugs that are not regulated by the FDA or drug controller of India are easily available. These drugs may not be fit for human consumption and need regulation”. http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-docs-warn-diabetics-against-herbal-drugs-2201856 USA – Diabetes Patient Uses Herbal Remedies to Treat Disease Some diabetes patients in the Rio Grande Valley are taking an alternative approach to modern medicine. They’re using traditional Mexican remedies to cure their chronic illness. Guadalupe Garza said she found her favourite plant at a flea market. The leaves it bears are thought to make a person feel better. Garza said the leaves are bitter. The plant the diabetic patient uses for medicinal purposes is called Neem (Azadirachta Indica). “I use two or three of these leaves in a tea, every day,” Garza said. “My blood sugar was at 300. Now it’s at 140.” Garza’s diagnosis came six months ago. “I have more faith in these herbs than the pills,” she said. http://www.krgv.com/story/31642158/diabetes-patient-uses-herbal-remedies-to-treat-disease UK – NHS to ditch acupuncture for patients with back pain Exercise is the best medicine for bad backs, and acupuncture should no longer be prescribed for the problem, health officials have ruled. Professor Mark Baker, clinical practice director said fresh guidelines for the treatment of lower back pain state that exercise, including stretching, should be the treatment of choice. Acupuncture has been removed from the list of therapies, due to a lack of evidence that it works. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3508819/NHS-ditch-acupuncture-patients-pain-experts-say-exercise-best-medicine.html <Back to Top> Euthanasia No news today <Back to Top> Same Sex Attraction USA – Paediatricians’ Group: Transgender Kids Need Help Not Hormones The American College of Paediatricians (ACP) issued a statement urging legislators to reject policies encouraging chemical or surgical gender reassignment for children. The statement reflects that parents are inflicting harm on gender-confused children by encouraging them to seek medical interventions placing them on life-long, risky hormone treatment. This leads to mutilating their healthy bodies. A Swedish study, on cross-sex hormones and sex reassignment surgery indicates a greater risk for cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Gender-confused children should be treated for gender dysphoria, a condition listed in the recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. Paediatricians wrote that 98{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of gender-confused boys and 88 {01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of gender-confused girls accept their biological sex after passing through puberty. http://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/pediatricians-group-transgender-kids-need-help-not-new-hormones.htm UK – Sexual orientation, wellbeing and mental disorder The research aim was to determine an estimate of the association between sexual orientation identity and poor mental health and wellbeing among adults. Previous studies indicated an increased risk of mental disorder symptoms, suicide, and substance misuse in LGB adults, compared to heterosexual adults. Data were pooled from the British Cohort Study 2012, involving comprehensive psychiatric interviews. Symptoms of poor mental health like anxiety, depression , low wellbeing (e.g. not having ‘positive mental health’) are common in the adult population but there is established evidence that adults who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual are at higher risk of experiencing these symptoms. Evidence of poorer mental health in LGB people has been found in samples from the United States, Netherlands and England. http://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-016-0 USA – Doing the right thing by transgender kids is not easy A US$5.7 million study of the long-term outcomes of medical treatment for transgender youth will be located at four academic medical centres’ with dedicated transgender youth clinics including 280 young people with gender dysphoria .Children in early puberty will receive hormone blockers to suspend puberty – preventing the development of undesired secondary sex. Jack Drescher, psychiatrist at the William Alanson White Institute in New York City, said feelings about the ethics of gender dysphoria run high. Some ethicists regard hormone treatment as unethical. Denying children the ability to transition is unethical, bioethicist Simona Giordano of the University of Manchester, UK, said. Irreversible treatments are requested at younger ages and are rising says endocrinologist Courtney Finlayson from the University of Manchester. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/doing-the-right-thing-by-transgender-kids-is-not-easy/11815#sthash.lS7aS66i.dpuf USA – WPA condemns treatment for unwanted homosexual attraction The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) has joined national psychotherapy bodies in Europe and North America in condemning psychotherapies claiming to reduce or eliminate homosexual attraction in clients. Prominent Canadian psychiatrist Joseph Berger says the WPA statement represents a political position unsupported by science. The WPA’s statement allows psychiatrists treating homosexuals only to reduce distress, cope with discrimination, and develop acceptance of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Therefore, therapy “to treat something that is not a disorder is wholly unethical. Dr. Nicolosi, co-founder of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, noted that treating homosexuality is neither novel nor radical. “It is traditional psychotherapy and reports on scientific research shows change is possible and claims thousands of successes.” https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/worlds-largest-psychiatrist-org-condemns-treatment-for-unwanted-gay-attract <Back to Top> IVF&Surrogacy Sweden – Study links depression and anxiety to IVF outcomes A study published in the journal Fertility & Sterility, including more than 23,000 women, is the largest so far assessing the association between depression, anxiety and antidepressants and the outcome of IVF. “We found that women undergoing their first IVF treatment who either had been diagnosed with depression or anxiety or had dispensed an antidepressant had lower rates of pregnancy and live birth rates compared to women who did not suffer from these conditions”, says author Carolyn Cesta, doctoral student at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. “Importantly, we found that women with a depression or anxiety diagnosis without a prescription had an even lower chance of becoming pregnant or having a live birth.” http://www.news-medical.net/news/20160308/New-study-assesses-link-between-depression-anxiety-and-antidepressants-and-outcome-of-IVF.aspx <Back to Top> Medical Ethics USA – Unilateral ‘do not resuscitate’ orders: what neonatologists think In an article in the Journal of Medical Ethics researchers discuss a survey of neonatologists’ opinions regarding Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) orders. 77{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} respondents said it was ethically permissible to issue a unilateral DNAR for infants for whom survival was felt impossible. 61{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} said it was ethically permissible when survival was felt ‘unlikely’. However, only 51{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} said they would enter the order if they found themselves in such a situation. “The discrepancy…should also be considered in light of the professional climate in American medicine. It has been reported that physicians in the USA commonly initiate and continue treatment until it is virtually certain that the patient will die, taking a ‘waiting for near certainty’ approach to end of life.” http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/unilateral-do-not-resuscitate-orders-what-doctors-think/11807 USA – Crispr will lead to designer babies, says geneticist In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, geneticist Jennifer Doudna, of the University of California Berkeley, believes that designer babies are only a decade away. But for the moment, she believes that there should be a moratorium on editing the human genome, especially for traits like eye color and IQ. “It should not proceed until we have a chance to understand better how the technology operates in those kinds of cells, as well as to provide time for societal consideration,” she says. But she does believe that CRISPR should be used to cure genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy. When the wrinkles are ironed out, CRISPR will become as common as IVF is nowadays. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/crispr-will-lead-to-designer-babies-says-geneticist/11800 Italy – Ban on embryo research survives challenge Italy’s Constitutional Court has reaffirmed a ban on human embryo research by declaring a 2004 law on assisted reproduction constitutional. The legislation was challenged by a couple who had created several embryos in an IVF clinic and requested the defective ones be used for genetic research. Geneticist Bruno Dallapiccola, of the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, was scathing in his comments. “The embryo is not simply a mass of cells, but something more which deserves to be respected. The Constitutional Court’s ruling, by maintaining the ban on using frozen embryos for research, confirms this principle.” He also expressed skepticism about the usefulness of human embryonic stem cells, in the wake of recent developments in stem cell research. http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/ban-on-embryo-research-survives-challenge-in-italy/11824 <Back to Top> Pedophilia No news today <Back to Top> Pornography USA – Free Virtual Reality Porn Is Here If You Want It or Not If you’ve ever found the characters in the porn you watch too two-dimensional then you may be interested in the newest offering from Pornhub. The platform just announced its decision to launch a free virtual reality porn channel. Pornhub is giving away 10,000 prototypes of Google Cardboard, which, true to its name, is a VR headset made of cardboard that uses a smartphone for its display. While the BaDoink site has been offering virtual reality content to paying customers for over a year, the new Pornhub videos will be available at no cost. They say it is their duty to provide their global audience with the latest in cutting edge technology. 3D porn was similarly heralded as the “future of porn”. http://www.refinery29.com/2016/03/106730/pornhub-virtual-reality porn?utm_source=nypost&utm_medium=syndication South Africa – Child pornographer caught through traced IP address A Port Shepstone man has pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault and the possession and creation of child pornography. The man was linked to an international pedophile ring and was arrested by the police after a tip-off by Interpol. They found he used an app called Giga Tribe to distribute child porn. Through the app they were able to get the IP addresses of users from 32 countries downloading the material. One of those IP addresses led to South Africa. Police found 1,000 copies of pornographic material in the South African man’s Uvongo home, containing images of children and teenagers involved in sexual activity. http://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/159111-child-pornographer-in-south-africa-nailed-through-traced-ip-address.html USA – Former porn star is exposing porn’s secrets Shelley Lubben, a porn former star calls pornography the “sexual exploitation industries”, rife with sexually transmitted diseases where actors don’t make the money they have been promised. There are no condoms allowed, HIV-tests are altered and 66{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} to 99{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} of porn stars have herpes. Pornography fuels sex trafficking and every porn star has been trafficked at least once. Now with the Internet girls are told that if they don’t do certain scenes, their porn photos will be send to family and friends and if the porn star threatens to sue them they physically hurt them. https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/former-porn-star-porn-was-the-worst-darkest-thing-ive-ever-been-involved-in USA – Charlie Sheen’s ex Bree Olson warns girls ‘don’t do porn’ Former porn star Bree Olson issued a tearful plea to young women keen to pursue a career in the adult film industry – saying “don’t do it”. Having got into the porn industry aged just 19, Bree once commanded a salary of between $30,000 and $60,000 a month. She quit aged 25 but says her six-year career has badly affected her chances of leading the normal life she so desperately craves. She cannot get rid of the guilt and shame that goes with this career. “We must support and encourage women to begin to speak up and speak out about the destructive impact these issues have on themselves, their families, and their communities. We have to work hard on education.” http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/charlie-sheens-ex-bree-olson-7629445 <Back to Top> Sexual Exploitation UK – Safeguarding chairman backs calls for zero tolerance Bob Dyson, the Safeguarding Children Board’s independent chairman, has spoken out to mark National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day today, which aims to highlight issues around child sexual exploitation, encourage everyone to think, spot, and speak out against abuse, and adopt a zero tolerance approach to adults who develop inappropriate relationships with children. “The Safeguarding Children Board is committed to tackling child sexual exploitation. There are a number of children in Barnsley subject to child sexual exploitation, including Rochdale, Oxfordshire and Rotherham. This is most likely to take the form of an inappropriate relationship where an adult forms a sexual relationship with a child much younger than themselves.” http://www.barnsley-chronicle.co.uk/news/article/12128/safeguarding-chair-backs-calls-for-zero-tolerance Yemen – 8-Year Old Child Bride Dies On Wedding Night An eight year-old child bride died in Yemen on her wedding night after suffering internal injuries due to sexual trauma. Human rights organizations are calling for the arrest of her husband, who was five times her age. The death occurred in the northwestern Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia. This brings even more attention to the already existing issue of forced child marriages in the Middle East. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), between 2011 and 2020, more than 140 million girls will become child brides. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/1540b0 France – Government overhauls prostitution laws, illegal to pay for services The French parliament has finally approved changes to the country’s prostitution laws. Legislators approved a bill against prostitution and sex trafficking that bans buying sex, not selling it. Customers breaking the law face fines and can be made to attend awareness classes on the harms of the sex trade. The legislation, which passed 64-12 in the parliament’s lower house, the National Assembly, makes the law one of the toughest against sex buyers in Europe. The new measure does away with a 2003 law that banned passive soliciting by sex workers on the street and thus put the legal onus on prostitutes. This new bill focuses the punishment on the client. http://www.smh.com.au/world/france-overhauls-prostitution-laws-makes-it-illegal-to-pay-for-services Germany – Plan to jail ‘johns’ stirs debate on forced prostitution The latest German legislation would see pimps jailed for up to 10 years to combating human trafficking. The cabinet agreed to push a law that would see “johns” who go to forced prostitutes face between three months and up to five years of jail. Justice Minister Heiko Maas said the law was meant to have a “preventative effect” to deter clients of prostitutes, who are victims of human trafficking. “As a state, we made a decision that we do not accept and also do not tolerate such a thing – a German middle way? Director of the group Anti-Slavery International said this law would see Germany sitting between Nordic and Dutch models with clients bearing a greater weight of legal responsibility. http://www.dw.com/en/german-plan-to-jail-johns-stirs-debate-on-forced-prostitution/a-19170214 <Back to Top> Substance Abuse USA – Senate passes bill to combat heroin, painkiller abuse The bill, which was passed on a 94 to 1 vote, would establish grant programs to help state and local governments improve education and treatment for drug abuse, encourage medical providers to reduce unnecessary prescriptions, commit resources to help veterans deal with addiction, and give local law enforcement and mental health officials tools to lower the death rate from overdoses. A key provision would provide states with incentives to make naloxone, which can counteract overdoses, more widely available by offering liability protections to officials who distribute it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/03/10/senate-set-to-pass-bill-to-combat-opioid-abuse/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_fed Australia – Medicinal cannabis legalised in Victoria Victoria has become the first state in Australia to legalise the use of medicinal cannabis. Children with severe epilepsy will be the first to access the drug in 2017, Victoria’s Health Minister Jill Hennessy said, after the Access to Medicinal Cannabis Bill passed Parliament. The legislation enables the manufacture, supply and access to medicinal cannabis products in the state. Ms Hennessy has said access to the drug, available in a variety of forms including; tinctures, oils, capsules, sprays and vaporisable liquids would be rolled out gradually and eventually be made available for palliative care and those with HIV. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-12/victoria-becomes-first-state-to-legalise-medicinal-cannabis/7321152 Canada – Opioid Painkiller May Be New Treatment for Heroin Addicts Hydromorphone, an opioid painkiller, may be another treatment option for heroin addiction a new Canadian study suggests. The research included more than 200 heroin addicts in Vancouver. They hadn’t responded to commonly used treatments such as methadone or suboxone. This was the first study to assess the effectiveness of hydromorphone in treating heroin addiction. The participants were randomly selected to receive injections of either hydromorphone or diacetylmorphine (pharmaceutical-grade prescription heroin). After six months, patients in both groups reported fewer days of street heroin and other opioid use (three to five days a month). More than 47,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdose in 2014, a 14{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4} jump from the previous year. The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2016-04-06/opioid-painkiller-may-be-new-treatment-for-heroin-addicts <Back to Top> Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of Doctors for Life International]]>