LIFE alerts
Doctors For Life International
Bi-Weekly Updates on Current Ethics Issues
| 5 september 2006 Articles in this issue are:
[ USA - Marijuana Gumballs Used by High School Students] - Two bright yellow chewing-gum balls with smiley faces, were seized from two high school students by police at the Howard County High School in Maryland . A police officer assigned to the high school witnessed the gumballs being purchased by the students while passing between classes. The gumballs were sent to the Maryland State Police-Forensic Sciences Division Laboratory in Pikesville , Maryland who determined there was approximately one gram of high-grade marijuana packed inside each gumball. The gumballs came wrapped in colourful tin foil labeled as “Greenades” with a marijuana leaf on the wrapper and detailed instructions for use. ...[more] [ USA - Cardholder Caught With 200 Pounds of Pot] - A medical marijuana cardholder was caught with 120 pounds of processed marijuana, 80 pounds of marijuana butter, 10 grams of hashish, 45 large cannabis plants and several pscilocybin mushrooms. “We're finding it's becoming more common,” said DINT Lt. Curt Strickland. “People are using the card to circumvent the law.” ...[more] [ USA - Tired of Dishes, Tired of Wife] - A man, 83, accused of murdering his wife of sixty years, is out on bail. His defence: mercy killing. Albert Pollock's wife awoke one morning, turned to him and said, “I love you,” His response was to wrap a towel around her throat and choke her to death for over five minutes. Police say he then changed, sat down for a while, and dialled 911. He claims to have contemplated the murder for several weeks after a leg injury had put his wife in bed. Prosecutors say he was “tired of doing the dishes, cleaning up the apartment and looking after his wife.” ...[more] [ China - Attempted Infanticide Leads to Baby's Disability] - Two hospitals in Shanghai are accused of causing a baby boy to be born brain-damaged and blind. The first hospital apparently delayed the birth, assuming the pregnancy would probably end in miscarriage due to complications. The child was delivered by caesarean with severe brain damage. The second hospital then attempted to euthanise the child, coercing the parents into agreeing to remove the life-support, explaining the child would remain in a vegetative condition, even after treatment. The parents finally agreed and the hospital removed life-support. However, the baby survived despite the removal of all life-support. They then applied treatment at the request of the parents, but the damage to the brain and eyesight was irrevocable. The parents are now suing both hospitals ...[more] [ USA - New Embryonic Stem Cell Research Claims False] - The Catholic Church and proponents of embryonic research agree that a California biotech firm's claims of creating a new method of obtaining embryonic stem cells without taking human life are false. The biotech firm claimed they used the single-cell biopsy technique called Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) to obtain stem cells from 16 human embryos without killing the embryos. This, however, was found to be untrue. In 2004, the biotech firm at the centre of this inaccuracy, also falsely claimed to have cloned the first human embryo. Both claims rocketed their shares. Exaggeration of the potential benefits of embryonic stem cell research, and outright false claims about research data are increasingly becoming a hallmark of the field. Last year, the famed Dr Hwang Woo-suk of South Korea published data in the highly respected journal, Science claiming to have cloned the first human embryo. Not only did his research data turn out to be fabricated, investigators found he had engaged in the highly unethical practice of using the eggs of his female colleagues. Nevertheless, Hwang has been able to resume his research activities armed with new funding, this time, cloning animals. Hwang's team claimed to have cloned a human embryo and to have created patient specific embryonic stem cells. The latter claim is important because embryonic stem cells have had problems overcoming immune system rejection issues. Had the team overcome that problem, embryonic stem cells may be more likely to someday provide cures for patients. As a result, embryonic stem cell research continues to be a long way from ever providing real hope for patients with a wide range of diseases and conditions. In contrast, adult stem cell research, which does not involve the use of embryos continues to produce positive results for a variety of ailments. ...[more] [ United Kingdom - Danger of Claimed Stem Cell Cures] - The main funders of stem cell research in the UK have warned of the dangers of the “extravagant claims” made by stem cell treatments abroad. Medical charities caution patients attracted by the claims of foreign companies offering stem cell-based 'cures' for certain conditions. They also warn, that “these unproven treatments could be dangerous, potentially exposing patients to the risk of uncontrolled and inappropriate tissue generation”. ...[more] [ Columbia - First Legal Abortion on 11-Year-Old Girl] - The first legal abortion was performed in Columbia on an 11-year-old girl who fell pregnant after being raped by her stepfather. This came after the Columbian Constitutional Court allowed abortion in cases of rape, incest, and physical defect or when the mother's life is in danger, in May this year. Despite the ruling, the girl's case had to appear before the Constitutional Court , which authorised the procedure. ...[more] [ USA - Survey Shows Women Want More Info Before Considering Abortion] - The Journal of Medical Ethics published a survey that was conducted on 187 women in July. The results made it clear that women need much more than any words a doctor can offer them. The survey revealed that 95 percent of patients wished to be informed of all the risks involved with an abortion procedure and 65 percent would want to know all of the possible alternatives beforehand not just those alternatives a doctor presents. Women placed mental and emotional health consequences very high on the list in the ranking of risks only slightly below the risk of death or heart disease. ...[more] [ Russia - Vladivostok Hosts International Forum on Human Trafficking] - The international forum on human trafficking has opened in Vladivostok, Russia's Far East, with NGO's from Russia, the US, China and Europe taking part. The delegates will focus on the fight against illegal migration, human trafficking and sexual exploitation. They will also discuss how to help and protect human trafficking victims. According to the International Labour Organisation, human traffickers generate up to 32 billion U.S. dollars of revenue a year, and the number of human trafficking victims exceed 2.4 million. ...[more] [ United Kingdom - Violent Porn Criminalised ] - The viewing of images of violent rape and sexual torture will become an offence in the UK for the first time. Possession of so-called “violent and extreme pornography” will carry up to three years' imprisonment in England and Wales . The move will cover all forms of pornography including images on the internet. However, the legislation will not apply to Scotland immediately, it will take at least 9 months before a similar law can be introduced. ...[more] [ USA - 100 Years for Child Pornographer] - A federal judge sentenced a convicted child pornographer to 100 years in prison and said the virtual life sentence was necessary to protect other children who could be victimised if he was returned to society. A jury in December found him guilty of manufacturing, possessing and distributing child pornography. “This is a defendant who was a legend in the child pornography community.” He was part of an Internet child-porn ring that used a private website called Starkids as a front for its activities. ...[more] [ United Kingdom - Woman “Addicted” to Surrogacy] - 42-Year-old Ms Hawkins, a legal secretary who never married, is often depressed and lives alone in a flat with three cats and dreams of being thin. She loves being pregnant because “you are allowed to be fat when you are carrying a baby”. But back in 2004, after her sixth baby and disgusted with her obesity, she took an overdose. When she recovered, she had an expensive gastric bypass operation which helped her to slim down. Now she hopes that the fee for her seventh pregnancy will help pay for a nip and a tuck with cosmetic surgery. She admits feeling quite detached from her children and yearns for a husband and possibly for a child of her own. ...[more] [ South Africa - Government to Protect Indigenous Medicine] - President Thabo Mbeki recently announced that the government would be setting up a project to protect indigenous medicinal knowledge from exploitation by Western Pharmaceutical companies. “It is quite clear there is a very important store of indigenous knowledge on medicine in the country,” he told a meeting of the National House of Traditional Leaders in Cape Town . He mentioned that part of the reason why they are setting up this program, is because some traditional healers are expressing concern once they hand over their prescriptions to pharmaceutical companies, the medicines become unavailable to the people at an affordable price. ...[more] |