14 April 2008
Nigeria - 61 Percent of New HIV/AIDS Infections Are Women
The National Agency For The Control of AIDS (NACA) has revealed that an estimated sixty one percent of Nigerians that are newly infected with HIV/AIDS are women and young girls. The Director General of NACA, Professor Babatunde Oshotimehin who gave the information in Abuja at a One-day workshop organised by the agency to strengthen its relationship with the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), said the country stands the risk of losing an important part of her population to the scourge of HIV if the situation is not quickly addressed. He said, "We have to appreciate why it is important for women to be in the fore front of the battle against the spread of HIV/AIDS. Today, Africa houses seventy percent of HIV/AIDS infections, with sixty-one percent of new infections in Nigeria being women and young girls. ...[more]
International - UN raises alarm on AIDS epidemic in Asia
Asian governments must devote more funds to preventing AIDS or face the risk that the disease could kill nearly 500,000 people each year across the continent by 2020. About 440,000 currently die from the disease each year in Asia. A UN study also stated that the overall number of infected people would likely double to 10 million by 2020 if prevention efforts are not implemented. "Despite a declining trend of new HIV infections in a few countries, AIDS still accounts for more deaths annually among 15 to 44 year-olds than do tuberculosis and other diseases," it noted. ...[more]
USA - 'Abstinence Education Is The Best Health Message For America's Youth’
President Bush’s 2009 budget proposal includes $204 million to support Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE), but dozens of liberals in Congress want all abstinence money axed from the budget. Seventy-six representatives — all abortion supporters — have signed a letter sponsored by Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., asking the House Appropriations Committee to cut all abstinence-education funding. The debate surfaces on the heels of a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that shows one in four teen girls in the U.S. has a sexually transmitted infection (STI). “With 3 million teen girls infected with STIs, safer sex in adolescents does not exist,” said Linda Klepacki, sexual health analyst for Focus on the Family Action. “For the current and future health of teens, we must teach them how to have strong relationships not based on sex.” ...[more]
Australia - Euthanasia millions welcomed
Leading euthanasia advocate Philip Nitschke, director of Exit International, says a $5million bequest from former Brisbane lord mayor Clem Jones to promote the legalisation of euthanasia will give the issue greater legitimacy in Australia. "We are heartened by the donation," Dr Nitschke said. "Not only the large amount of money, but because it was (given) by someone who commanded a great deal of respect ... it will give this issue a degree of legitimacy." As well as that donation, Jones made many other sizeable bequests. He left $5million for stem cell research aimed at finding a cure for brain damage, $5million to aid in the prevention or to find a cure for macular degeneration of vision and $2million to campaign for an Australian republic. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said, "I have a very conservative view on euthanasia. I think it's a very difficult area to legislate in. And I know from my discussion with medical practitioners in this field that it could be a very slippery slope for parliaments to enter." ...[more]
United Kingdom - Suicide Promotion More Common Than Prevention in Web Searches
It's easier to find web sites that encourage suicide and describe how to commit it than sites that offer help for those considering taking their own lives, according to research published in the British Medical Journal. Researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Oxford, and Manchester plugged 12 different search terms related to suicide into each of the four most popular search engines: Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask. The searches uncovered 240 unique sites about suicide, just under half of which provided information about how to commit suicide. Nearly one-fifth of the hits as well as the top three most frequently occurring sites were for pages that promoted suicide. Only 13% of the sites were dedicated to suicide prevention and support, and only 12% actively discouraged suicide. Most of the sites -- even some of those dedicated to suicide prevention -- provided information on methods of suicide. ...[more]
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Stem cells made to mimic disease
USA - Scientists have taken skin cells from patients with eight different diseases and turned them into stem cells. The advance means scientists are moving closer to using stem cells from the patient themselves to treat disease. Researcher Dr Willy Lensch, of Harvard Medical School, said the technique had "incredible potential". He said it could help scientists understand the earliest stages of human genetic disease. Induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells are adult stem cells which are made to act like embryonic ones - they gain the ability to become any cell in the human body. In principle, they could be used to treat a wide range of disorders, from diabetes to Parkinson's. Rather than managing the symptoms of the disease, they would be used to regenerate the affected parts of the body. "We're looking at the perfect human brick - ethical, flexible and not rejected by the patient because it comes from the patient themselves." said Dr Chris Mason, of the UK National Stem Cell Network. ...[more]
Human-animal hybrid research challenged in court
UK - Campaigners against the use of human embryos in research have challenged the licenses that led to the creation of Britain's first animal-human hybrids. A team in Newcastle University revealed a few days ago that it had created a cow-human hybrid embryo, so called cybrids. The organization “Comment on Reproductive Ethics” now filed legal papers for a judicial review submitted to the High Court. The challengers argue that the hybrids are not permitted under current law because, when current law was drafted, it was for human embryos, not hybrids. The news last week that Newcastle had made a cow-human cybrid, part of an effort to find ways to do stem cell work without the need for human eggs, came as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill will be debated by the House of Commons. ...[more]
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Namibia - Prostitution and Trafficking Rife in Oshikango
More than 100 women, including children under the age of 18, engage in commercial sex in Oshikango. Most respondents said they were initiated into the sex trade at the age of nine. This information is contained in a baseline survey which investigated sexual exploitation and trafficking of women and children, at the Oshikango border post between Namibia and Angola.The study could, however, not provide statistics of trafficked women and children through the border post although evidence indicates that trafficking does occur. It further revealed that when foreign women and children are caught without travelling documents they are treated as illegal immigrants. It also found that socio-economic conditions predispose women and children to enter the commercial sex trade and make them vulnerable to human trafficking. The study says there is a greater call to raise awareness on women and children trafficking as well as capacity building of civil society organisations and Government to better equip them to identify appropriate remedies for the problem. ...[more]
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Spain – Abortions Shown On Spanish Television - First In History
For what is probably the first time in history, a television network in Spain has shown an abortion on national television. Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue, noted the importance of the event. He said that he believes that if there was a straight up debate on abortion, on exactly what abortion is, exactly what it does to the baby and the detrimental effects on the mother, the pro-life movement would win the debate hands down one hundred percent of the time. He added that the debate in Europe is phenomenally important. He said that it is pivotal in the crusade to end abortion worldwide, and he hopes that this would begin to spill over into American politics. Asked why the American media has never shown such images to the public, Newman said that "there is an active cover-up within the media to deny the actual truth about what goes on during an abortion," attributing the situation to liberal, pro-abortion bias. ...[more]
USA - Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Again Says Abortion Right Nonexistent
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia continues to educate the law students of America and, once again, presented his explanation that no right to abortion exists in the Constitution. Scalia said a legal right to an abortion is not found in the document that guides our judicial process and that if abortion advocates wanted to create a legitimate abortion right, they should rely on passing laws in the legislature rather than asking courts to unilaterally create one. Justice Scalia, who pro-life advocates hope will someday be one of the five votes on the high court to reverse Roe v. Wade, also said the Constitution is not a living document that changes with the times. Scalia rejects the idea that the Supreme Court is bound by precedent -- such as in the Dred Scott or Roe v. Wade cases. According to him most important of all, would be to determine if the precedent allow one to function as a lawyer, which is what a judge is supposed to do? ...[more]
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United Kingdom - Gordon Brown To Overrule On Cannabis Grade
Gordon Brown appeared determined to press ahead with plans to reclassify cannabis as a class B drug against the recommendations of his own advisers. A review by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs looks likely to find that cannabis should retain its class C status. Mr Brown ordered the review after growing public unease about stronger "skunk" varieties of the drug and a series of studies, which linked its use to mental health problems. David Cameron, the Tory leader, said: "The Conservative Party has a very clear view that it (cannabis) should be class B. People have had enough of reviews and the Prime Minister should stop dithering." The Government downgraded cannabis to class C in 2004. Critics say the decision has unleashed a major public health problem. According to data compiled by health authorities, 500 adults and children require medical treatment every week after using cannabis. ...[more]
USA - Research Aims To Understand Cocaine Abuse
Wake Forest University researchers, using cocaine-abusing monkeys, have found links between environment, stress and drug use. One study sought to gauge the effect of a more pleasant living environment on the monkeys' cocaine use. It involved both socially dominant and socially submissive monkeys that have been taught how to give themselves cocaine. Researchers found that the better environment reduced cocaine use among both dominant and submissive monkeys. However, within a few days, the monkeys returned to their previous levels of cocaine use. "To translate that to a human situation, it would take more than just buying (a cocaine addict) dinner one night" to reduce the addict's drug abuse, Nader said. "You would have to change the environment long-term." ...[more]
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Nigeria - Saving Women From Risky Abortions
Some women go to traditional healers to terminate their pregnancies. Traditional healer’s methods include trying to break the amniotic sack inside the womb with a sharp stick. This causes infection and in extreme cases the tissue inside the body can start to die. "They're pulling out intestines," says gynaecologist Dr Ejike Oji, of Ipas, an international organisation working to secure reproductive rights for women. Another method is to pump a toxic mixture of fiercely hot Alligator chilli peppers and chemicals like alum into their bodies ...[more]
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