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LIFEalerts – Euthanasia

Euthanasia

Spain – Signs death sentence for the weakest

Euthanasia or Physician-assisted suicide is already legal in Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland, several US states, and Western Australia and Spanish lawmakers are joining them. During the recent parliamentary debate in Madrid, some members saw this move as a step forward in civil rights bringing more liberty to citizens. On the other hand, it was said how euthanasia amounted to “signing death sentences for the weakest.” The law says that patients must be given full information about their condition, including palliative care & any other alternative options available. The request to commit suicide via a doctor must also be given in writing and then repeated 15-days later. Doctors are also permitted to refuse providing Euthanasia.

A poll showed the majority of Spaniards supported the right of someone to choose such a death, if only they knew what is taking place in countries that have gone ahead of them, the feeling would be different. In Belgium nurses admitted to euthanizing patients without their consent. A mother in Argentina wanted to kill her son who has cerebral palsy because she’s exhausted and fed up with caring for him. In the Netherlands, a woman seeking help, and not death, with post-traumatic stress disorder was told she met the criteria to be euthanized on her first appointment. In Canada, a wife lost a lawsuit to prevent her husband’s death by euthanasia, another incident described a psychiatrist in Oregon who determined that an elderly woman with dementia was mentally unable to consent to assisted suicide, and believed her daughter was pushing for it, but it happened anyway. In USA, Texas a disabled, 46-year old African American man named Michael Hickson, was euthanized without his consent or that of his wife. The doctor said it was better to euthanize Michael because he is paralyzed and not like “walking and talking people.” Studies on why the elderly is seeking Euthanasia reveal how fear of being a burden to the family, and depending on others, loss of quality of life are motivations for euthanasia. Another tragic incident where a Canadian elderly woman was euthanized because she feared the loneliness that comes with lockdown! If Spaniards knew the underreported and ignored cases like these, they would see that Euthanasia is not about helping people, it’s about pressuring them to die when their quality of life would get in the way of society

More:

Argentine mother seeks to euthanize son who has cerebral palsy

Wife Loses Lawsuit to Prevent Husband’s Euthanasia

COVID-19 patient was black and paralyzed, so doctors decided his life wasn’t worth saving

Dutch mental health patient angry at euthanasia offer

Warning to Britain as almost half of Belgium’s euthanasia nurses admit to killing without consent

Elderly Canadian woman euthanized because she feared loneliness during lockdown

Assisted dying round-up

Spanish Lawmakers Pass Bill Allowing Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

Switzerland – Let’s vulnerable, healthy 87-year-old man die

Those who end up committing suicide are generally people who are clinically depressed, a biochemical dysfunction that can be treated. Suicide among people with serious handicaps are almost non-existent. Patients usually tell others their wish to die but whether they continue to feel this way and request or commit suicide is heavily influenced by the type of response they receive. Kees Kentie, an 87-year-old man, with the help of a new euthanasia organisation, died by euthanasia. He was not terminally ill, just frail, tired of life and feared increased decline of his health and sought to stay in control until the end. What if Kees waited? perhaps he would have met a group of encouraging friends who would not only help him if things got difficult but who would make him feel that life is indeed worth living for? What was it that made Kees so tired of life that he wanted to die hopeless? More

Netherlands – Factors that influence rates of euthanasia requests

An analysis of health insurance claims data, published online in the journal British Medical Journal Supportive & Palliative Care shows a 7-fold unexplained variation in rates of euthanasia across The Netherlands. Euthanasia has doubled and is on a continuous rise since the country legalized it fully in 2002. 85% of all euthanasia cases were carried out by family doctors. Age, church attendance, political orientation, income, subjectively assessed health, and availability of community volunteers all emerged as potentially influential factors. Euthanasia was at its lowest in regions with churchgoers and also in regions with high percentage of community volunteers. Progressive political views and higher household income and good self-reported mental and physical health were associated with higher rates of euthanasia, researchers suggest that the healthy may be more inclined to ask for assistance in dying when they do suffer. Article, Study.

LIFEalerts – Medical Ethics

Medical Ethics

USA – Vaccine manufacturer Merck shifts focus

Vaccine manufacturer Merck has abandoned development of two coronavirus vaccines, after extensive research concluded that the shots offered less protection than just contracting the virus itself and developing antibodies. The company announced that the shots were ‘well tolerated’ by test patients, but generated an ‘inferior’ immune system response in comparison with natural infection. Merck will instead focus on research into therapeutic drugs labelled as MK-7110 and MK-4482 which aim to protect patients from the damage of an overactive immune response to the virus. Interim results from a phase 3 study showed a greater than 50% reduction in risk of death or respiratory failure hospitalized patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 using the MK-7110 drug. Merck is to receive around $356 million from the US government to fast-track production. More

USA – COVID-19 guidelines for Moderna and Pfizer vaccine administering

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued new guidance on the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. Pregnant women should not get vaccinated with Moderna unless they are at high risk of exposure like being a health worker. WHO director of immunisation Kate O’Brien said that clinical trials of the Moderna vaccine were still needed on pregnant women. The report also emphasised the need for facilities that treat allergic reactions to be readily available at vaccine administering sites with regards to Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Latest guidance from Public Health England states, “The early Covid-19 vaccines do not contain organisms that can multiply in the body, so they cannot infect an unborn baby in the womb.” More

South Africa – Prisoners to get vaccinated first

Outrage is brewing over the government’s decision to vaccinate awaiting trial and sentenced prisoners before ordinary citizens, when vaccines for the coronavirus become available. The reason for this is believed to be due to confinement and overcrowding and therefore prisons are considered to be the prime sites for the virus. Phase one will mean that frontline workers such as healthcare workers will be vaccinated first, Phase two will vaccinate teachers, police, municipal workers and other front-line personnel. People with comorbidities and people over 60 years of age, institutions including old age homes, shelters and prisons will be prioritised. Phase three will then vaccinate the remaining adult population. Experts, including the World Health Organization said the reason why prisoners should be prioritised was that when they (prisoners) contract Covid-19, they can easily and immediately transmit the disease to their fellow prisoners and prison staff as well as healthcare workers who treat them. More

LIFEalerts – Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse

USA – New Study: legalized marijuana states show youth usage increases significantly

The most authoritative study on drug use conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) found significant increases in youth marijuana use in several recently legalized marijuana states. At the same time, mental illness indicators worsened across the country while alcohol, cocaine, and tobacco use dropped, especially among young people. The moment states legalized marijuana, consumption climbed even higher compared to when it was illegal. In non-legal states marijuana use dropped. This proves that we have not lost the war on drugs as marijuana/cannabis proponents suggest, and it also tells us that the proponents did not base their arguments/reasons for legalising on sound science. Legalized marijuana is devastating the youth in these states while marijuana proponents profit. More

South Africa – plans to reduce crime and violence with stricter rules on alcohol and substance abuse

President Cyril Ramaphosa plans to combat high rates of crime and violence by reviewing regulations to reduce alcohol and substance abuse which he said are major contributions to the perpetration of violence. The president said that the temporary restrictions placed on the availability of alcohol under the state of disaster regulations have demonstrated the extent to which abuse of alcohol fuels violence, trauma and reckless behaviour and places a burden on our health system and emergency services. This was named as the ANC government’s key priority in 2021 and will achieve this by increasing the drinking age to 21 years, introducing 100-metre radius limitation of trade around educational institutions, banning any alcohol sales and advertising on social and small media; and introducing new liability clause for alcohol-sellers. Government plans to totally prohibit use and consumption of alcohol by all motor vehicle operators on South African public roads. The National Road Traffic Act currently enables those who have consumed alcohol to get behind the wheel provided they are under the blood alcohol limit; the new plan is to remove any trace of alcohol in the blood or on the breath. More

South Africa – SA teens are succumbing to cannabis addiction

Has the government’s decision to legalize cannabis encouraged it’s use? One mother writes to Parent24 with a broken heart over her 15 year-old who smokes cannabis. She says that her son is an intelligent boy but now his school work is going down. The South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use says this is unfortunately not uncommon, and that 36% of patients admitted to rehab centres for substance abuse were aged 10 and 19. A recent most authoritative study on drug use conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration found significant increases in youth marijuana use in several states that have recently legalized marijuana/cannabis. The moment states legalized marijuana, consumption climbed even higher when compared to when it was illegal. This could indicate what SA can expect since it legalized marijuana/cannabis. ‘He has gone back to smoking dagga again’: How to handle teen drug addiction, NEW HHS DATA SHOWS SIGNIFICANT YOUTH DRUG USE INCREASES IN LEGALIZED STATES.

South Africa – Study: great proportion of violent patients have history of substance abuse

Research conducted by three psychiatry experts from Weskoppies and the University of Pretoria found that a great proportion of violent state patients admitted to Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital, Gauteng, have a history of substance abuse. These crimes included murder, attempted murder and rape. These offenders were sent to the facility because courts declared them unfit to stand trial. The psychiatry experts studied the clinical files of 140 patients admitted to the hospital’s forensic unit from 2005 to 2014. It found that 55% of the 140 patients had a history of substance use. “The consistent finding of high rates of individuals with a history of previous psychiatric treatment and substance use highlights this as an important area of future research, where the focus could be on possible interventions to minimise violent behaviour in this population,” the study read. The findings were published by the South African Journal of Psychiatry in its last issue for 2020. More (link to study will follow soon)

LIFEalerts – Alternative Medicine

Alternative Medicine

South Africa – Doctors plead with Ramaphosa to review Ivermectin

A petition has been signed by close to 100 South African healthcare professionals appealing to the President to set up an urgent special council to conduct a rapid review of the antiparasitic drug.  A general practitioner from Durban, Dr Naseeba Kathrada, penned a heartfelt letter to the president. The product is used for the treatment and control of parasites in animals and is currently not registered for human use in the country.  Ivermectin has been around since 1975.  It is FDA approved and authorised for human use in many countries around the world. Four countries have now added it to their Covid Treatment protocol. Ivermectin has won the Nobel prize in medicine.  There are hundreds of studies done already and new data is emerging daily showing the promise of Ivermectin. More

India – Undigested pills block stomach

Several undigested tablets were found in a patient’s stomach. Doctors in a Kolkata hospital found these alternative medicines in the small intestine of a 56-year-old Salt Lake resident. The undigested pills that the patient had been consuming for three years had resulted in critical stomach blockage, pain and digestive issues. During an MRI of the stomach to detect what was causing the blockage doctors saw huge patches of foreign objects in his abdomen. Removing foreign particles like dentures from the gastrointestinal is a common operation. Deb Kumar Roy, consultant GI surgeon said, “But we were shocked to see thousands of undigested pills of various brands intact.” DFL is of the opinion that all alternative medicinal measures should be tested and approved before promoting them as equivalent to tested medicine and methods that prove successful. More

LIFEalerts – Paedophilia

Paedophilia

USA – Twitter sued for refusing to remove child porn images

Recently, Pornhub was dropped by major credit card companies, after a legal battle with numerous sex abuse survivors exposing the porn site for failing to remove the victims’ abuse videos. Now another child sex abuse victim is suing Twitter. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation Law Center (NCOSE), The Haba Law Firm, and The Matiasic Firm jointly filed a federal lawsuit against Twitter on behalf of a minor who was trafficked on the social media platform that boasts more than 330 million users. At age 16, Plaintiff John Doe was horrified to find out sexually graphic videos of himself — made at age 13 under duress by sex traffickers — had been posted to Twitter. Peter Gentala, from NCOSE said “Despite its public expressions to the contrary, Twitter is swarming with uploaded child pornography and Twitter management does little or nothing to prevent it.” “Twitter clearly needs to properly address the egregious issues of exploitation and abuse happening throughout its platform. We hope that John Doe receives some measure of justice and that this lawsuit will pave the way for other survivors to seek justice,” Gentala said. More

USA – California says that kids aged ten can consent to sex with adults

U.S. State California has said that kids aged ten can consensually have sex with adults and President Biden is in full support for of this. But science and basic biology and psychology disagree. Young children can’t understand sex or its role in relationships, and the images they see can leave a lasting impression. It’s a basic premise of marketing that what we watch, read and direct our attention toward influences our behaviour. And, as any marketer knows, sex sells. According to Melissa Henson, a program director for the Parents Television Council, Hollywood is ignoring the huge demographic of families because they simply aren’t interested in programming for families. Now we see parents and children watching hypersexualized entertainment together.

Research shows that children who are exposed to sexually explicit material and in other media tend to want to engage in these behaviours themselves. This does not translate to them being at all developmentally ready, nor are they emotionally, socially or intellectually ready for sex with peers or even more so with adults. Therefore, to support child-adult sex can amount only to support for child sexual abuse and for obvious reasons this is problematic and even criminal.

Article, Pandemic boredom: Many parents watch increasingly sexualized content with their kids, Overexposed and Under-Prepared: The Effects of Early Exposure to Sexual Content, Long-term consequences of early sexual initiation on young adult health: A causal inference approach.

LIFEalerts – Medical Ethics

Medical Ethics

Australia – Surgeons to have patients’ psychiatric evaluation before cosmetic or otherwise surgeries

A paper published in the Medical Journal of Australia warns surgeons to be cautious about taking on a patient whose had numerous past procedures performed by a list of different practitioners, which they refer to as “inadequate”. Patients need to have their psychiatric history and state of mind assessed before cosmetic procedures are performed because certain psychiatric disorders – such as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), depression or a psychotic diagnosis – can present with a heightened concern about the way in which the patient looks. The surgeon should clearly outline what is realistic, and what the risks and complications might be. A psychiatric evaluation would prevent instances of unrealistic expectation and unnecessary litigation. More

South Africa – Telemedicine was an expensive lesson for one woman who sought cosmetic surgery

The Health Professions Council of SA had previously banned all telemedicine consults, except for telephonic prescriptions, – but due to pressure and being in line with global trends of virtual consults – the council relaxed restrictions for the pandemic only. One woman with scoliosis who wanted cosmetic surgery from a Medical Spa in Sandton, had to pay R120 000 to secure her appointment without a physical consultation and without adequate consultation. After doing some research, Rania discovered that she was at heightened risk for things to go wrong and wanted a refund but was told there are no refunds and then ignored. It turns out that the same clinic was sued for trademark infringement. This should caution practitioners and patients/buyers to make full disclosures and first have a physical consultation before paying for procedures. More

LIFEalerts – Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse

South Africa – Cannabis bill angers cannabis consumers who intend on doing things illegally

South Africa’s draft Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill has made some Rastafarian cannabis consumers quite upset. If the bill is passed there will be a maximum jail term of 15 years for dealing in cannabis, smoking in public earns two years of jail time, and smoking around children would be punishable by four years in jail. At home you may grow up to four flowering plants if you live alone, and eight plants if there are two or more adults. You may possess 600g of dried cannabis if you live alone or 1.2kg if there are two or more adults in your home. The Rasta Business Foundation members marched to Durban City Hall in protest complaining that the government gives police too much leeway to enter people’s properties, and also criticised the amount legal to possess. The motive of groups that advocate for cannabis becomes clear that it’s not really about health and well-being but that dealing was also their intention and police who would ensure legal activities is a problem for them. Why else complain unless you plan to do illegal trade. More

USA – Benadryl challenge sends many teens worldwide to the emergency room

The ‘Benadryl’ challenge, which encourages users to overdose on the drug to achieve a hallucinatory state, first did the rounds on Tiktok back in May, when three teenagers were hospitalized in Texas. One of the three a 15-year old in Oklahama City died. In small quantities the drug heals fever and cold symptoms, larger doses can cause hallucination, heart trouble, seizures, coma and death. After this, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning of the dangers with high doses and that parents should lock up medicine beyond the reach of children. Other cases of teens overdosing on Benadryl and heading for the emergency room are popping up nationwide in the United States, Europe, Australia and certain Asian countries. Article, Article 2, Video

USA – Another TikTok Trend endangers teens: Nutmeg challenge

A toxicologist explains what happened to a 19-year-old’s brain who made TikTok videos of himself after he drank an entire bottle of nutmeg spice in a protein shake. GG’s immense thirst made him drink 14 litres of water over a few hours which did not quench his thirst nor could he urinate. Like everything that’s herbal and natural, nutmeg has hundreds of chemicals in it. Natural things are all made of chemicals. GG had nutmeg poisoning and hyponatremia (Low sodium presence in blood) and caused his organs, heart and brain to swell with water. Fortunately, no herniation occurred in his brain and the 3% sodium infusion was enough to solve the hyponatremia and draw the water out of his brain. Upon regaining consciousness, he realized that no amount of views on TikTok made that terrible experience worth it. More

LIFEalerts – Sexual Exploitation

Sexual Exploitation

South Africa – The inherent dangers associated with prostitution are enough reason to keep it illegal

After the gruesome murder of 23-year-old Jessica Weyers, the issue of prostitution has been brought back into the spotlight. Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, founder and Deputy Chairperson of Embrace Dignity stands for total abolition of prostitution in South Africa because they believe that objectification, exploitation and oppression are inherent in the sex trade. They help women exit the lifestyle and have said that COVID-19 and unemployment put women at greater risk to be sex trafficked. Embrace Dignity is also a member of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, which draws links between human trafficking and sex work. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2018 global report on human trafficking found that adult women and young girls account for 72% of trafficked persons across the world. More

Netherlands – Mask-wearing law contradicts legalized prostitution

The Netherlands have joined the rest of Europe to make wearing face masks indoors in public places compulsory – Citizens who rebel will be fined 95 euros. Prostitutes, on the other hand, are free to go with their clients and are allowed to remove their masks. Never mind that this contradicts the very goal of maintaining the spread of the virus since one sex worker will see around ten different clients a day. These rendezvous often include consuming drugs and alcohol – a recipe for disaster – if you’re serious about containing the spread of covid-19. More

LIFEalerts – Same Sex Attraction

Same Sex Attraction

UK – High Court protects transgender children from harmful and experimental drugs

In a landmark case which will impact laws around the world, the UK High Court has ruled that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones are experimental treatments which cannot be given to children in most cases without application to the court. The court also ruled that it is highly unlikely that a child aged 15 and under could be competent to understand the long-term risks and consequences of treatment sufficiently in order to give consent to such interventions. Clinicians would also involve the court in any case where they doubt whether the long-term interests of a 16 or 17 year-old would be served by transgender treatments.

This case comes as vindication for Sue Evans (a former employee) who first raised concerns at the transgender clinic over 15 years ago. Keira Bell who was a victim of this treatment also made history as she joined the case and through her public testimony. In her statement, Keira Bell said: “I made a brash decision as a teenager, (as a lot of teenagers do) trying to find confidence and happiness, except now the rest of my life will be negatively affected.” The court found that the transgender clinic did not keep any record on the ages of children treated with puberty blockers or the number of young people referred by the clinic for blockers who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder or any other mental health diagnosis. The clinic did not investigate these possibilities before putting children on blockers. The clinic failed also to track children on blockers into adult services and to track the outcomes. More

Canada – Concerned mother fights for her daughter’s medical safety and sanity

A judge prohibited a doctor from performing surgery to remove the breasts of a 17-year-old girl who wants to look like a male, and that against the objections of the mother. In disbelief that clinical standards and medical protocols could permit doctors to treat traumatized teenage girls caught up in a trend this way, and shocked that the government supports such unscientific and dangerous experimentation, the mother demands to review all the protocols that led the physicians, neither of whom are specialists, to arrive at the conclusions they have. An endocrinologist warned that the teen is presently being “severely overdosed” on testosterone because it raises her female levels to 100 times above normal. This is dangerous because it increases the risk for heart attacks, Severe liver dysfunction, permanent deepening of the voice, erythrocytosis, hypertension and other serious conditions.

According to a study by Kaiser in 2019, a review of medical records of thousands of transgender identified youth found when compared to non-transgender peers, transgender youth were 7 times more likely to have had psychological disorders and also 25-54 times more likely to have expressed suicidal thoughts prior to identifying as transgender. Many teens who have gone down this road have expressed regret and are warning others against taking their feelings at face value or concluding that their feelings, which are subject to change all the time, to be the sole determining factor to doubt their biological reality. All this suggests that the mother is right to resist this type of treatment for her daughter who is none the wiser.

Article, Teens who speak out, More teens share transgender regret, Teen calls transgender surgery a Frankenstein hack job, Women regrets transgender surgery.

LIFEalerts – Abortion

Abortion

Ireland – New Study shows doctors suffer emotionally when performing abortions

In a new study based on interviews with ten doctors who perform abortions in Irish hospitals under the country’s new abortion law reveals what doctors go through. The doctors described Late-Term Abortion (LTA) procedures as “‘brutal’, ‘awful’ and ‘emotionally difficult’, referring to it as ‘stabbing the baby in the heart’, and held themselves responsible for the death of the baby”. Doctors expressed emotional difficulty describing LTA as creating a ‘psychological burden’. LTA kills the baby in the womb by injecting potassium chloride directly into the baby’s heart.

The administration of potassium chloride in executions in the USA is considered so painful that it is necessary to first administer an anaesthetic before its use. There is, however, no such obligation to use painkillers in late term abortions, despite the mounting evidence that the unborn baby is capable of experiencing pain and distress. There have been cases of abortion following a misdiagnosis of disability. In 2019, a baby boy was thought to have Trisomy 18 and only after the abortion was it shown that the child was perfectly healthy. Article, Study

Russia – Lessons learned from Russia’s 100 years legalized abortion

Soviet Russia was the first country to legalize abortion in 1920 believing that this would reduce the harm caused by dangerous, illegal procedures and gradually make abortion non-existent. The opposite happened instead, and abortion rose by 400% which caused a falling birth rate and a plunging population. The opposite also happened in after Roe v. Wade became U.S. law in 1973, and also the opposite of what happened to Ireland in 2018. As a result, Russia tried disseminating birth control and eventually made abortion illegal again in 1936 because it wasn’t working. The general feeling however was that women needed to limit the number of children because of societal conditions at the time and women needed abortions so they could work or attend school. Medical dangers of abortion often go unacknowledged because this belief persists today that abortion is necessary for women’s social well-being.

Back in the 20th century, researchers attempted to warn the Russian public about abortion risks, Professor M. Malinovsky wrote: “…People do not see or do not want to see the dangers inherent in abortion. The fact that the operation goes unpunished and is relatively safe has created an illusion of the complete harmlessness of the operation. It is our duty to dispel this misconception.” One hundred years later, abortion has not corrected societal or familial injustices or inequalities against women or their children — because an injustice perpetrated against an entire class of human beings can never lead to justice for anyone else. More

Ireland – Opposition to DIY abortions grows in the medical sector

A leading Scottish medic, Northern Ireland’s Health Minister, and 277 healthcare workers are opposing the DIY abortion programme, calling it “unsafe and “unacceptable.” The abortion pills are sent through the post and women perform their own abortion at home with no medical supervision or support. The letter stated: “We find it sadly ironic that, at a time when the whole of society is constraining itself to prevent sickness and death for our at-risk friends and family, there is a push to expedite the ending of the lives of its most vulnerable member, the unborn child. Concerns include; forced abortion on women in abusive relationships or victims of trafficking, sepsis and significant bleeding is also of great concern.

Healthcare workers oppose DIY Abortion, Scottish Medic concerned about trauma caused of at-home abortions, Article.

USA – Activists are promoting new way to cushion consciences on abortion

The Missed Period Pill (MPP) is a new type of abortion pill which would bring on bleeding like a menstrual period, and which would terminate the pregnancy for nearly all people who were pregnant. The key point is that they would never know whether or not they had been pregnant. What was interesting to researchers was despite decades of feminism, culminating in groups like Shout Your Abortion, many women still appear to be ashamed of having an abortion. Some would use this because they’d feel less guilty about killing their baby because they’d never know if they were pregnant or not. Why else would women feel ashamed unless something instinctively tells them that this is a life being taken? More.