05 March 2007
Zimbabwe - Womens' Lives Cut Short
According to the UN's World Health Organisation (WHO), the life expectancy of Zimbabwean women by early 2006 was only 34 years, down from 36 in 2004 and 62 in 1990. Thirty-four: an age where women in stable democracies are thinking about careers, starting families, or buying homes. While they look towards their bright futures, Zimbabwean women face only a painful cruel death. Thirty-four is by far the lowest life expectancy in the world. Even in war-torn Iraq, said WHO in its report, women can expect to live to the age of 51, and 42 in Afghanistan. In poor countries like Cuba and North Korea, women's life expectancy is 75 and 65 respectively. Inscriptions on the headstones of hundreds of graves at the fast-filling Granville cemetery in Harare tell a harrowing tale about life expectancy in Zimbabwe, where an alarming 3,500 citizens a week die from HIV/AIDS. ...[more]
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USA - Lawmakers Target Marijuana-Flavoured Candy
A bill that would ban the sale of marijuana flavoured candy to children in Georgia won approval from a legislative committee, advancing the proposal toward a vote in the House of Representatives. House Bill 280 calls for a $1,000 fine for those caught selling the sweets, also called “chronic candy” or “pot suckers.” The bill now goes to the House Rules Committee, which sets the agenda for the House floor votes. A similar measure died in the Legislature last year. ...[more]
USA - Vote Keeps Medical Marijuana Bill Alive
A House panel passed a bill legalizing the medical use of marijuana. The Agriculture and Water Resources Committee voted 5-2 to pass the bill. The measure already has passed the Senate. It would set up a program in the state Department of Health, under which patients with certain debilitating conditions or in hospice care could be certified to use marijuana. Patients could not grow the drug, but would obtain it from the Department of Health, which would have it grown in a secure, in-state facility. ...[more]
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USA - Miracle Baby Comes Back From the Dead
After trying for 30 minutes to bring two-week-old Woody Lander back to life, doctors decided there was nothing more they could do and called in his parents to say their tearful farewells. A nurse passed Woody to his heartbroken father and gently pulled a tube from his mouth so they could kiss him goodbye. It was then that the miracle happened. The lifeless baby suddenly coughed and moved. Nurses immediately grabbed Woody back, re-attached the tubes and lifesaving equipment and he came back to life in front of his astonished parents. No one has been able to explain why Woody, who had suffered a massive heart attack, was able to return from the brink. And despite being starved of oxygen for so long, he appears to have suffered no permanent brain damage. Now 14 months old, Woody is a happy-go-lucky youngster who should be able to lead a normal life. His parents Jon, 34, and Karen Lander, 32, still can't believe what they went through. As Wesley J Smith put it “The moral of the story? It's Not Over Until It's Over: Unless It Isn't Really Over”. ...[more]
Caribbean - Suriname Health Minister Rejects Euthanasia, Embraces Abortion
Suriname’s health minister Celsius Waterberg has caused a stir in parliament by rigorously rejecting the idea of euthanasia, while on the other hand supporting the idea of legalisation of abortion. “As long as I am the Minister of Health, everyone can just forget about euthanasia. Such a bill I will never present to parliament for approval,” said Waterberg. According to Waterberg ,euthanasia is against his Christian beliefs and profession as a doctor of medicine. “As a doctor I took an oath to save lives," the minister stated. However the Health Minister is a strong supporter of the legalisation of abortions, a call supported by several parliamentarians. Abortions should be allowed he said, in cases where the woman was raped or if her pregnancy is life threatening to her and the unborn child. Just as the minister was presenting his ideas, President Ronald Venetiaan intervened, urging parliament to ignore the minister’s statement, since he was presenting his individual point of view and not the government’s position regarding abortion. Currently abortion is prohibited by law in Suriname. ...[more]
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United Kingdom - Anglican Head Clarifies Church Stance on Homosexuality
The current divide in the 77-million member Communion is due to "the fact that some people in the church, a minority, especially in the United States, have chosen to read the Bible in a new, very controversial way," Archbishop of Canterbury said. "The stance of the Anglican Communion is clear: It has never said anything other than that. The ordination of active homosexuals is not acceptable, it has never said anything other than that the marriage of same-sex couples is not to be admitted." ...[more]
Hawaii - Civil Unions Plan Goes Nowhere
Hawaii lawmakers effectively stopped a proposal to create civil unions for homosexual couples by declining to vote on the legislation. Civil unions had been suggested as a way for the state to sidestep a controversy over same sex marriage, but they proved to be nearly as contentious. Opponents argued that civil unions were being used as a step toward legalizing same sex marriage. Proponents said they want the legal guarantees granted to married couples, such as tax breaks, adoption rights and health benefits. "This is essentially a re-examination of the same-sex marriage issue except with a different title," said Kelly Rosati, the executive director for the Hawaii Family Forum. ...[more]
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USA - Adult Stem Cell Breakthrough Announced
U.S. scientists have created a technique to encourage adult stem cell survival and growth -- a step that might lead to the therapeutic use of such cells. Adult stem cells are precursors for specific cell types and hold great promise for treatment of injuries and diseases. Professor Linda Griffith of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Scientists says the research offers hope that one day, stem cells removed from a patient could be transplanted to an injury site and induced to grow into new, healthy tissue. ...[more]
New Zealand - Stem Cell Trial Blocked
The Health Ministry of Dunedin blocked a Stem Cell trial, saying that not enough was known about stems cells for a trial to be carried out safely. The trial, by the Spinal Cord Society Research Centre in Dunedin, would have involved cells from the nose being injected into the spinal cord. The Spinal Cord Society said the decision would be a blow for those who had already volunteered to take part in the trial. It said it would continue to fight for approval for the treatment and was considering applying to the ethics committee on the Independent Health Research Council. The committee was not currently interested in being involved. ...[more]
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Scotland - Kerb-Crawler Bill Passed
The new Prostitution Bill will give police the power to arrest men in cars, or loitering with the intention of buying sex services. These men will face prosecution and fines of up to £1,000. Scotland’s Deputy Finance Minister said it would provide Scotland with the toughest legislation on kerb-crawling in the UK. MSPs voted in favour of the bill by 103 votes to four with eight abstentions. ...[more]
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USA - Supreme Court Case Could Define the Foetus
The New Jersey Supreme Court is considering a case which could shake up America's tortuous abortion debate. Rose Acuna, a 29-year-old mother of two, went to her doctor, Sheldon Turkish, complaining of abdominal pain. She was between five and seven weeks pregnant. She says she asked Dr Turkish if a "baby were already there" and he responded "Don't be stupid, it is nothing but blood." Ms Acuna had the abortion, but soon repented. In 2004, she sued Dr Turkish for medical malpractice, arguing that abortion providers have a duty to tell their clients that the foetus or embryo is "a complete, separate, unique and irreplaceable human being" and than an abortion would kill that human being. Acuna and her lawyer, Harold Cassidy, lost the first round, before a trial judge, but won the second round before an appeals court, which ruled that the case could go before a jury. Abortion clinics do not want this, as it would effectively force them to tell patients that the foetus is an existing human being to head off the threat of later lawsuits. So the case has now moved on to the Supreme Court. If it decides in Acuna's favour, clinics in New Jersey, and probably elsewhere, will be forced to discuss abortion in completely different terms. The procedure will not be banned, but doctors will have to acknowledge that they are killing a human being. ...[more]
England – Abortion Justified for Sake of Cancer-Free Babies?
Doctors treating four women with a family history of breast cancer are applying to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) for permission to create embryos through IVF and discard those found to be carrying the cancer gene. None of the women has fertility problems. Joan Nicholson of the genetics committee of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, who carries the cancer gene, said: "Had this test been available a number of years ago, I would definitely have had it. But one of my cousins believes it is completely wrong. She says that if screening had been available I would not exist." ...[more]
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United Kingdom - Altruistic Egg Donation 'Allowed'
Women not undergoing fertility treatment can donate their eggs to medical research, the UK's fertility regulator has announced. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said women would not be paid for "altruistic donation" but would be eligible for expenses. Some scientists say they need human eggs for the creation of embryos from which stem cells can be derived. But critics say egg donation involves potential health risks. Previously women have only been able to donate spare eggs produced through IVF or gynaecological treatment, such as sterilisation. Now women choosing to donate their eggs to researchers will be able to claim up to £250 in expenses. The HFEA also said women should be allowed to donate through "egg-sharing" schemes, in which they receive cut-price IVF in return for handing over eggs. ...[more]
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