April 2003
Since 1996, Doctors For Life (DFL) has been involved as a witness
for the State in a case where the constitutionality of the law on prostitution
was questioned. It is with great relief and gratitude to the Lord that we can
announce that in October 2002, the Constitutional Court ruled that prostitution
remains illegal. In personal discussions, the State Advocate said that DFL's
contribution was a determining factor in the case.
The SA Law Commission (SALC) has since been discussing the regulation of prostitution.
DFL submitted the same evidence to SALC, in which we shed light on the harmful
effects of prostitution. DFL also suggested that social structures be put in
place for the rehabilitation of people involved in prostitution. We are looking
into ways of becoming more involved in the latter, especially since many women
(and children) are trapped in the vicious cycle of manipulation and violence
and would opt out, but do not know how or where to turn to.
The killings at a Cape Town brothel confirms our opinion that prostitution and
crime are linked, especially prostitution, drug abuse and protection rackets.
Wherever prostitution has been legalised in the world, it has
lead to a two-tier system with a small group of legally practising prostitutes
and a large group functioning illegally. It has also been shown that the moment
prostitution is legalised, pro-prostitution lobbies start pushing the boundaries
by arguing for the legalisation of child prostitution.
Our concern regarding prostitution should be similar to that regarding slavery:
we should not ask how we could improve it, rather how we can eliminate this
institution which so brutally damages human beings. A summary of the evidence
lead by DFL is available on request from the DFL office.
Martus de Wet: Legal Department
return to top
Please keep the following dates open: 30, 31 July and 1 August
2003 for our National Medical Ethics Conference featuring world class international
scientists and ethicists.
Topics such as:
- The ethics and legislation of cloning and stem cell research
- International bio-ethics: Its origin, destiny and more
- Discussions on the ethics of euthanasia.
Speakers such as:
Prof. Dr Dianne Irving, former career-appointed bench research
biochemist and biologist at the National Institutes of Health (NCI); Prof. Dr
David A. Prentice of Life Sciences, Indiana State University; Prof. Dr Word
Kischer and Advocate Wesley J. Smith, author of ìForced Exitî. South African
speakers include Prof. Anton van Niekerk and Dr Danie Barry, who worked with
Mark Shuttleworth on Cloning and Stem Cell research.
return to top
From a humble beginning two years ago, Project Life Child has
grown in leaps and bounds, now supporting 206 children at 25 locations in three
countries: South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia. The number of orphans in Southern
Africa is frightening... present figures indicate 120 000 in KZN alone. Most
of them have a place to stay but receive no proper care. The financial burden
is too heavy for the relatives - typically a grandmother earning an old-age
pension.
So far, we have been able to carefully chose carers who
are willing to support orphans in their homes or facilities. In some facilities,
the number of children has exceeded the size of a normal family. Life Child
is making a visible and inspiring difference in the lives of the children.
Betty Gardner: Project Life Child Co-ordinator
return to top
According to statistics, close to 3000 people (mostly children
under 5 years) die daily from malaria worldwide. Malaria is mainly concentrated
in tropical areas and since most of the population in these areas have a low
income, there are no funds for research and development of a novel drug and
even if a pharmaceutical company endeavoured to try, the cost to do so is so
high that the price of the new drug will be unaffordable. This crisis called
for a Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) and the inter global networking
of scientists which lead to the third MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference in
Arushia, Tanzania. It turned out to be the largest conference on malaria ever,
attended by 950 scientists from all over the world. DFL was sponsored by the
MIM to attend the conference with a poster presentation on DFL's artimisinin
based Malarlife product.
At the conference, artemisinin products were again highlighted
by the WHO as the answer to drug-resistant malaria. Although artemisinin kills
Plasmodium falciparum even faster than quinine, it has a very short half life
and therefore the chance of developing resistance is small. Artemisinin cannot
be manufactured synthetically due to its unique structure and therefore needs
to be cultivated, extracted and formulated for commercial purposes.
It is DFL's vision to supply affordable effective medicine to the needy in Africa.
For more information see: www.malarlife.dfl.org.za
or contact malarlife@dfl.org.za
Elfrieda Fleischmann: Pharmaceutical Department Director
return to top
As a tribute to the special work our members are faithfully
doing, DFL features a member with every issue of the newsletter. In this issue
we focus on an interview with Dr Charles Chouler. Dr Chouler is a family practitioner
at Medicross, Tokai, Cape Town. He and his wife, Annette, have four children.
He qualified in 1978 in MBBCh at Wits University, and also acquired diplomas
in Tropical Medicine, Public Health and Aviation Medicine.
Q: What influenced your decision
to study medicine?
A: "I've wanted to be a doctor from age nine. My father, an eye specialist,
took me on his rounds. At fifteen I saw my first eye operation and promptly
fainted. I received Christ at seventeen. At Medical School I endured a bit of
an identity crisis, which resolved as I grew in confidence as a Christian and
sought like-minded doctors.
I am thankful for the framework my studies have offered me to assist people
in their suffering, and especially for God's wisdom which one can receive constantly.
With the help of local churches we've established support groups (for the depressed,
and to stop baby rape). Some of my other activities include: Consultant for ìWhat's Up, Doc?î Magazine; part-time clinical forensic practitioner for sexual
assault and drunken drivers; session work at Pollsmoor Prison - female section;
representative of Christian Medical Fellowship - seeking to strengthen and encourage
medical and paramedic students in their faith and work."
Q: When did you join Doctors For Life?
A: "Before 1997. Then I received many helpful newsletters. These proved to be
a great encouragement and gave me a higher and purer ideal to strive for in
the health field. DFL is proving to be a voice of reason and conscience in a
secular post-modern culture. It is ëwalking the talk,' so to speak, in so many
areas."
Q: Your thoughts and experiences as a spokesperson
for DFL?
A: "It has been unique, exciting and has given the medical profession a deeper
significance for me. I never believed I could have much influence in society,
but now there's no limit. The war is on and there's no going back. We're not
only protecting and preserving life, but also bringing justice and righteousness
into far reaching decision-making processes."
Q: What is your vision of the future of medicine
in SA?
A: "It has been said that one of the greatest concerns is the quality of doctors.
The private sector should assist the government in the training and development
of doctors and nurses. I believe that as Christ came to seek and save the lost,
so medicine should concentrate on its sickest and weakest members first. I think
we're failing to do this. However, excellence in tertiary and academic hospitals
shouldn't be sacrificed for primary health care, as leadership and example at
the head determine the morale of the staff in the field."
Dr Charles Chouler
return to top
Counselling experience from DFL-trained volunteers confirms previously
published evidence that depression follows abortion. Abortion does not make
a woman unpregnant, it makes her the mother of a dead baby. The difficult circumstances
surrounding the decision to abort may help the mother succeed in suppressing
her motherly instincts and conscience temporarily, but the false relief (the
so-called ìhoneymoon periodî) comes to an end anything between hours or years
after an abortion. In many cases the abortionist tells the mother that the ìprocedureî
will only expel a blob of tissue. When she later on sees photos of an unborn
child and realises her aborted baby was a human being after all, it is enough
to trigger off Post Abortion Syndrome (PAS).
PAS is a very serious condition marked by intense long-term chronic depression,
which can lead to suicide. This condition is related to Post Traumatic Stress
Syndrome, which was first diagnosed among Vietnam War survivors. The symptoms
include profound guilt, grief, nightmares, alcohol and drug abuse and other
disturbing symptoms.
In 1987 Dr Anne Speckard conducted a study with 30 mothers who had gone through
with an abortion and discovered that:
100% suffered from depression
92% felt guilty and angry
89% had a pre-occupation with the aborted child
73% had flashbacks
65% harboured suicidal thoughts.
Treatment Guidelines:
- Help her break with denial The more intense her acknowledgement
of the truth about the abortion, the deeper her healing will be. Ask her open
questions.
- Facilitate the grieving process Healing begins with the uncomfortable
process of being honest about guilt after the abortion. This can be compared
to opening an emotional boil. Allow her to cry.
- Address bitterness and anger Anger is especially prevalent
when the mother was forced into the abortion or when she feels she had to
make a hasty or ill-informed decision. According to a study done by Women
Exploited by Abortion (WEBA), 90% of women who go for an abortion do not have
enough information to make an informed decision. In almost all cases this
ignorance is not corrected at abortion centres, if counselling is available
at all. Her anger may also be directed at the baby's father, her parents,
friends, members of the abortion team or at God. It is of vital importance
to the healing process that all anger and bitterness be acknowledged and confessed.
- Forgiveness and restoration Conviction of the sinfulness of
the act and reassurance of God's forgiveness are central to the healing process,
as experienced by Norma McCorvey, plaintiff ìJane Roeî in Roe v Wade, after
she had been instrumental in the 1973 legalisation of abortion in America,
35 million induced abortions ago.
For further information or referrals contact the 11th Hour Careline (available
24 hrs): 073 224 9221
Ronell Carstens: 11th Hour Counselling Co-ordinator
return to top
The first DFL trip to bring medical aid to African countries
took place in August last year. A seven man team (including three doctors),
spent over three weeks travelling to five African countries: Swaziland, Mozambique,
Malawi, Zambia and Botswana.
On this exploratory trip, the objective was to see how DFL could get involved
in future medical outreaches. The need proved to be huge. In many places, patients
flock to inadequate facilities for medical attention. In the Inhambane Province,
Mozambique, a single nurse and assistant run an old mission hospital. They average
35 patients a day and serve a community of 7000 people. Some of the patients
we assisted had never experienced anaesthetics and were amazed when their teeth
were pulled painlessly! We also donated medicines to clinics.
One of our objectives was to hold talks in the evenings and 25 meetings saw
up to 11 500 people addressed on the topic of AIDS and hearing the Gospel of
our Lord. Over a third of Botswana's population is HIV+. It is the country with
the highest AIDS percentage in the world.
With ìAid To Africaî, we envision bridging other DFL projects to African countries,
such as Life Child, Home Based Care and our Drug Programme. The need for the
latter, for instance, was evident in Lusaka, Zambia, where drug-abuse
is a major problem. We were horrified to see a third-world country, without
any major infrastructure, becoming a gateway to ìfirst worldî drugs like cocaine,
crack and even heroine.
We managed to accomplish our objectives and the travelling also
went especially well, with the assistance of a hand-held GPS, provided by GP-TECH.
A lot of time was thus saved reaching unmapped destinations. DFL would like
to thank all sponsors and donors for their support. We are in the process of
negotiating the purchase of mobile clinics and equipment for future outreaches
to African countries (SA included).
Available: promotional video on ìAid To Africaî. For contributions, volunteering
or more information, write to: johan@dfl.org.za or phone: +27 (31) 764 0443
Johan Claassen: Aid To Africa Project Manager
return to top
ESKOM, a company with an AIDS policy regarded as ìBest-Practiceî,
contracted DFL to implement the Back to Basics Peer Educators Training Programme
in the Western Cape Province. ESKOM was especially attracted by DFL's focus
on mature value systems and responsible sexual behaviour. The programme offered
ESKOM the solution to their need to present their workers with a firm value-based
foundation from which to make decisions about their sexual behaviour.
The construction group with a high-risk for HIV infection was chosen as pilot
project. The workers could help select influential workers in the different
teams. They were trained in Cape Town for 10 days by the DFL trainers. The course
included various lectures on HIV/AIDS, communication techniques and the identifying
of potential resistance to change (with creative problem-solving techniques).
Medical schools of both the University of Stellenbosch and Medunsa, agreed to
do a study of the entire work group's knowledge, attitude and behaviour with
regard to sexual practises. The processing of these results was completed in
December and will be compared with the follow-up study in May 2003. The expected
outcome (when the two sets of data are compared) is that the DFL Back to Basics
Programme will bring about statistically significant behaviour modification
among the ESKOM workers as was the case with mine workers in a similar DFL study.
These results will be published in one of the next newsletters.
Heinrich Botes: AIDS Projects Co-ordinator
return to top
Of late I have been constantly reminded of how our preconceived
ideas concerning things can hinder God's working in our lives. Take David for
instance. The Lord Jesus referred to him as ìthe prophetî David. Yet David was
never what many of us would imagine a prophet to be. First he was a shepherd.
Then he became a soldier. Still later he became king. David did not say that
he could not look after his father's sheep because he was called to be a prophet.
Neither did he refuse to become a soldier when the Lord opened the door. Even
when he became king, he could have refused, saying that he could not be involved
in secular things because he had a higher calling, that of a prophet. No, he
simply did what his hand found to do and did it with all his heart as to the
Lord. Yet, if we look at his Psalms, how vividly he described the betrayal,
suffering and Crucifixion of the Lord, no one can deny that he was a prophet.
And as if Christ Himself finally settles the matter once and for all, just in
case somebody still misses the point, He called him, ìthe prophet Davidî. So
often we can have our own ideas of how the Lord is supposed to work that in
the process, we miss the fact that He is already busy fulfilling His promise
in our lives.
Dr Allbu van Eeden, CEO
return to top
|