EUTHANASIA

Leaders Reject Euthanasia in Britain - The British House of Lords rejected the Euthanasia Bill proposed by Lord Joffe. The debate raged for over seven hours and the vote count was 148 to 100. Prime Minister Blair is also against the bill...[more]

Swiss Euthanasia clinic overloaded with "Stiffs" - “Dignitas” the Swiss clinic that offers euthanasia has its “death-rooms” in a residential block of flats next door. Now residents are demanding action because their lifts are constantly filled with body-bags waiting to be taken away. The clinic has killed over 450 since it opened in 1998. The clinic refuses to comment. ...[more]

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HOMOSEXUALITY

Hailed as a victory by gay rights activists, homosexual marriage was granted by parliament after the Canadian courts repeatedly ruled that banning such marriages was unconsitutional. Nonetheless, the issue remains controversial...[more]

In France, a report commissioned by the president of the nation's National Assembly and released in January, found that - after extensive study - homosexual unions should not be recognized as marriages. The authors of the 450-page report, who traveled throughout the European Union and North America to assess marriage reforms there, concluded that "Marriage is not merely the contractual recognition of the love between a couple." They determined that marriages between one man and one woman must be supported "to affirm and protect children's rights and the primacy of those rights over adults' aspirations."...[more]

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ABORTION

The British and New Zealand national affiliates of Amnesty International have endorsed an AI proposition to change the human rights group's stance on abortion from one of neutrality to one favouring it. AI's decision to consider whether or not to take a pro-abortion stance is upsetting
human rights campaigners across the globe who say the right to life is the basic human right.
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In mid-May, the Colombian Supreme Court voted in favor of allowing abortions in cases of incest, rape and if a women's life is in danger. This now leaves El Salvador and Chile as the only countries in Latin America in which abortion is illegal irrelevant of the circumstances. There has also been a growing movement to decriminalize abortions in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela and Colombia...[more]

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HIV / AIDS

South Africa now has 231 public health facilities that are accredited to provide treatment for HIV and the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, including the provision of anti-retroviral drugs. These facilities are spread across 53 district councils, covering two-thirds of South Africa's
municipalities, with the target of eventually covering all the country'smunicipalities. Last week government spokesperson, Joel Netshitenzhe told the media that South Africa now had the world's largest anti-retroviral treatment programme for people infected with HIV. By the end of March this year there were 134 473 people initiated on government's anti-retroviral programme of HIVsuppressing drugs, with an estimated further 80 000 people receiving anti-retroviral through private medical treatment and the non-governmental sector, he said ...[more]

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PEDOPHILIA

Police in Europe and the United States searched 150 homes in a dozen countries Wednesday in a coordinated crackdown on Internet pedophilia and child pornography, Europol announced. The pan-European police body did not say if any arrests were carried out Wednesday, but in the
Netherlands alone police said they had seized dozens of computer hard drives, digital cameras, CD-Roms and data storage devices from 21 homes. Codenamed "Baleno," the operation was initiated by Dutch police, who have supplied information to 76 countries around the world. In Europe, the investigation was coordinated by Europol, and in the United States by the FBI.
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TRADITIONAL HEALERS

The Gambia National Medicine and Home Care Foundation Programme, under the department of state for the Health and Social Welfare, was on Tuesday registered with the Non-Governmental organisation (NGO) Affairs Agency of the Gambia, thus allowed to operate as a local NGO in the
country. The press release has been created with the aim of promoting positive traditional medicine practices and discouraging the harmful ones. The release indicated that the efforts of the new NGO will complement government's contribution to the health care delivery system in the country, increase public awareness on the efficacy of traditional medicine and it's proper consumption ...[more]

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TONGUE-IN-CHEEK

In New Zealand, the witchdoctors of old would get the villagers to dance to chase away a disease. A local DJ created a dance similar to the old dance that imitates a dying chicken. He leans back, shaking wrists, arms and legs to the beat of the music. Folks are coming from miles to see and join him in dancing around a dying chicken. ...[more]

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