Spain - Spanish Bishop Denounces Abortion as "the worst dictatorship that can exist"
USA - National Cancer Institute Researcher Admits Abortion Breast Cancer Link
China - China's One-Child, Pro-Abortion Policy Creating Nation of Bachelors
South Africa - Cops slammed over inaction on prostitutes
USA - Program offers choices to prostitutes
Canada - ‘Meeting John’ study profiles men who use prostitutes
Spain - Spanish Bishop Denounces Abortion as "the worst dictatorship that can exist"
Archbishop Carlos Osoro of Valencia, Spain, denounced abortion in a well-publicized sermon as "the worst dictatorship that can exist" and "the greatest injustice in history, because it ends the lives of the weakest." "Reconciliation will never arrive while human life is not respected from its beginning until its natural end," added Osoro, who noted that the situation is similar to "what was experienced in Europe in previous times," comparing the current abortionist regimes to the totalitarianism of the 20th century. Osoro's comments were made as Spain moves towards the legalization of abortion on demand. Legislation recently passed by the Spanish Chamber of Deputies will allow women to freely choose death for their children during the first fourteen weeks of pregnancy, and will mandate pro-abortion education throughout the country. Current legislation requires that a medical reason be given. ABC reports that more than 10,000 abortions occur every year in Valencia. www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jan/10010506.html
USA - National Cancer Institute Researcher Admits Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Cancer Institute researcher Dr. Louise Brinton has reversed her position on the link between abortion and breast cancer, now admitting that abortion and oral contraceptives raise breast cancer risks. An April 2009 study by Jessica Dolle and others, examining the relationship between oral contraceptives and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive form of breast cancer associated with high mortality in women under age 45, contained an admission from Dr. Brinton and her colleagues that abortion raises breast cancer risk by 40%. Last year, studies from Turkey and China also reported statistically significant risk increases for women who had abortions, with the Turkish study reporting a 66% increased risk of breast cancer for women with abortions, while the Chinese study found a statistically significant 17% increased breast cancer risk among Chinese women who had induced abortions. http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jan/10010706.html
China - China's One-Child, Pro-Abortion Policy Creating Nation of Bachelors
A new report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences indicates the one-child family planning policy in China -- which has given way to sex-selection abortions and infanticides of girl babies -- has created a nation of bachelors. The report says more than 24 million men may be unable to find a bride by the end of the decade. It describes the tremendous gender imbalance the pro-abortion policy has created, as the most serious demographic problem facing China as well as resulting in many social problems, ranging from prostitution to increased crime and violence and to social instability. The report also notes how the introduction of ultrasound made the problem worse, because medical workers and those operating in the black market could more easily identify female unborn children and target them with abortions and infanticide. Economists and researchers say China should reverse its one-child policy or face certain economic problems in coming decades. http://www.lifenews.com/int1432.html
Portugal - Portugal expected to legalize gay marriage
The parliament of strongly-Catholic Portugal was expected to approve homosexual marriage in an initial debate, press reports said. The law, which does not allow homosexual couples to adopt children, was also expected to obtain definitive approval after passing through a parliamentary commission. The law would be approved with the votes of leftist parties, obtaining at least a narrow majority, the daily Diario de Noticias reported. The draft law came under criticism from several quarters. The opposition conservatives are proposing "civil unions" for homosexuals instead of marriages. Homosexual activists, on the other hand, see the law as discriminatory, because it does not include the right of adoption. The Portuguese law was expected to be approved by May, during Prime Minister Jose Socrates' previous term, the government had still rejected proposals from far-left parties to legalize homosexual marriage in the socially-conservative country. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/302524,portugal-expected-to-legalize-gay-marriage.html
USA - Lawyer Decries Choice of US Safe Schools "Czar"
A consultant to the Vatican's laity council is protesting U.S. President Barack Obama's chosen "safe schools czar," Kevin Jennings, due to his history of promoting homosexuality, especially to young people. She expressed concern regarding recent revelations about the career history of Jennings, who is currently serving as the Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education. She pointed out that in the political realm, sometimes positions are filled "with people intended to give a 'shout out' to those constituencies the president needs to thank, to court or to appease." Alvaré explained that some people are complaining that Obama is "moving too slowly to champion homosexual rights." The appointment of Jennings, however, gives the president a way to "ensure the influence of homosexual rights activists in important places -- like our nation's public schools -- without the president having to pass a law, or even hold a congressional hearing, both of which might generate public attention and opposition," she added. http://www.zenit.org/article-28030?l=english
China - Officials cracks the whip on Internet porn
China tightened the noose around Internet pornography in 2009, with 5,394 arrests. The officials are all set for further ‘purification of the internet’ this year. China is known to have the most stringent policy on the use of cyberspace and blocking undesirable content on the Internet. A statement issued on ‘purification of the internet’ issued by China’s Ministry of Public Security said, "Lewd and pornographic content seriously pollutes the online environment, depraves social morals and poisons the physical and psychological health of the masses of young people. It must be firmly controlled.” China’s efforts to get rid of frowned upon content available on the Internet are not new. However, Internet freaks have also worked their ways around to obtain access to these banned websites. Nevertheless, China has always successfully convinced independent companies to comply with its censorship initiatives. http://www.themoneytimes.com/featured/20100103/china-again-cracks-whip-internet-porn-id-1095804.html
USA - Online Exposure to Adult Pornography Affects Children's Sexual Behavior
Morality in Media has published a 10-page paper reporting evidence that exposure to hardcore adult pornography on the Internet can affect children's sexual behavior and attitudes about sex. The evidence includes published observations of clinical psychologists, police and prosecutors, educators, rape crisis professionals, social workers and others, as well as social science research. The evidence compiled in this paper supports the assessment in the general press such as , Five-Year Olds 'Are Imitating Net Porn; Young rape offenders on the rise; Psychiatrists consider impact of Internet pornography and, Porn gave kids know how to assault their friends. Common sense should inform us that when children are exposed to graphic depictions of adultery, bestiality, bondage, excretory activities, group sex, incest, prostitution, rape, sexual murders and torture, that their attitudes about sex, their sexual desires and their sexual behavior can be influenced for the worst. And exposing children to hardcore adult pornography is a form of child abuse. http://www.earnedmedia.org/mim0113.htm
South Africa - Cops slammed over inaction on prostitutes
City council member for safety and security, JP Smith, has been driving a program to rid the City of Cape Town of prostitution and provide alternative life options to prostitutes. He said the SAPS did not appear to believe that enforcing prostitution laws was something it had to focus on, and that it was this lack of vision that had "got us where we are in terms of human trafficking, drugs and crime.” “The government needs to have a clear vision, and if there is a law it must be enforced. De facto decriminalization is an extremely unhealthy state to be in," he said. Responding to the charge that non-enforcement has led to effective decriminalization, Zweli Mnisi, spokesman for Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, said the allegations were groundless. "The SAPS regards prostitution as a criminal act. Police have been active in not only dealing with this practice, but have equally been active in driving community projects, especially for women and girls to refrain from prostitution." Mnisi added that when arresting prostitutes it was expected of police officers to do so within the boundaries of the law, without assault or intimidation. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20091224130207942C316716
USA - Program offers choices to prostitutes
It was nearly midnight in a cramped mobile courtroom and a prostitute in a ‘Tweety Bird’ shirt was apologizing to a judge for falling asleep during her hearing. She hadn’t slept for three days and was coming down from a crack high, she explained. The combination left her too impaired to make a choice that only Dallas offers prostitutes: Go to rehab or go to jail. With those options, the city is taking a new approach to prostitution. Police now treat prostitutes as sex crime victims, offering many a chance to clean up and get off the streets. About half of the 375 women have chosen rehab, and 21 have turned their lives around. The program could soon spread beyond Dallas. More than 200 law enforcement agents from the United States and Canada attended the National Prostitution Diversion conference here in November. If the women have no felony warrants and seem sincere, the judge gives them the opportunity to avoid jail and enter rehab. After 45 days of inpatient counseling, they receive help with education, child care, and housing. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/01/10/program_offers_choices_to_prostitutes/
Canada - ‘Meeting John’ study profiles men who use prostitutes
A new study has found that many men who frequent prostitutes are married and well educated. Much has been written about prostitution and the women who practice it, but there's been little information published about their clients. A new study by a Canadian researcher delves into the motives and experiences of the men who frequent prostitutes, known as Johns. Study author Chris Atchison, who teaches sociology at Simon Fraser University, spoke with almost 1,000 Johns from across Canada, ranging in age from 19 to 85. In his research, Atchison found that about half of the Johns he interviewed were married and more than 40 per cent had a bachelor's degree. The average age of the Johns in the sample was 42. His findings also challenge the popular notion of Johns as always degenerate and violent. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/11/f-prostitution-current-johns.html
India - New stem cell therapy heals cartilage joint disorder
Regenerative Medical Services, a leading Indian stem cell therapy service provider, and Dr Joshi, an orthopedic surgeon, have successfully treated a patient who was suffering from a joint disorder, in which cracks form in the articular cartilage, by using a new stem cell therapy called Cartilage RMP Chondron. Dr Joshi said that Cartilage Chondron treatment is conducted in two stages. In the first section, the affected area of the knee is cleaned and a few cells are removed from the healthier side of the knee. In the second section we open the knee and inject the cultured cells into the affected area. This procedure is done without hospitalization of the patient. The best part of this cell therapy is that it has no side effects as the implanted cells are the patient's own cells. The total time period of Cartilage RMP Chondron treatment is approximately nine months and 10 patients have been treated. http://www.pharmabiz.com/article/detnews.asp?articleid=53430§ionid=
UK - Study sheds light on role of stem cells in children's brain tumours
A new research study from scientists at the University of London shows that medulloblastomas can grow from a type of brain stem cell, and that these cancers are a distinct form of the disease which may require a completely different approach to treatment. These are most common in children between the ages of 3 and 8 but they can also affect young adults. Professor Silvia said this is a major study because it shows for the first time that some of these tumors develop from endogenous stem cells and it is important for two reasons. First, it could help to tell which cancers will respond well to treatment and which will need a more aggressive therapy. Second, it could help to find much needed new drugs for the disease. The team studied equivalent cells taken from mouse brains. Researchers believe that their findings are a crucial first step to understanding the most aggressive form of this disease. http://www.ecancermedicalscience.com/news-insider-news.asp?itemId=880
USA - Hubbly bubbly no safer than cigarettes
In recent years, smoking tobacco with a water pipe (also called a hookah or hubbly bubbly) has become increasingly popular, especially among adults aged 18 to 24. It’s widely believed amongst the general public that this method of smoking tobacco is safer than cigarettes, but, according to a new study, people who smoke tobacco with a water pipe inhale carbon monoxide and nicotine, which puts them at risk for heart disease and nicotine addiction. The study included 31 volunteers, aged 18 to 50, who smoked tobacco using a water pipe and a single cigarette. After each smoking session, researchers measured levels of nicotine and carbon monoxide in the participants' blood, along with heart rate, puff number and puff volume. On average, participants had higher levels of carbon monoxide after smoking a water pipe than after smoking a cigarette. About 48 times more smoke was inhaled while using a water pipe, compared with smoking a cigarette. Both methods of smoking delivered nicotine into the body. The findings are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. http://www.health24.com/news/Smoking/1-1250,53741.asp
USA - City Urged to Withdraw Flier on ‘Safer’ Heroin How To Guide
A pamphlet on “tips for safer use” of heroin that New York City financed and distributed has raised the hackles of public officials, including the city’s special narcotics prosecutor. City health officials say the 17-page brochure has been in circulation since June 2007. But City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr and Bridget G. Brennan, the special narcotics prosecutor, say the brochure is a how-to manual for drug users that — through tips like “warm up your body (jump up and down) to show your veins” — makes drug use seem normal and therefore called for the pamphlet to be removed. Mr. Vallone, chairman of the council’s Public Safety Committee, said that the pamphlet offered little of value to current users and could encourage others to take up heroin use by showing them how to do it. Ms. Brennan said that the brochure suggested there was a safe way to inject heroin. “Anytime you intravenously inject drugs you’re taking your life into your hands, no matter how many times you wash your hands or use alcohol [swabs].” More than 600 New Yorkers die of accidental drug overdoses every year. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/nyregion/06needles.html
Uganda - Two arrested for suspected ritual murders
The Police Anti Human Trafficking Squad, in collaboration with other security agencies, stormed a shrine in Wakiso district and arrested two traditional healers. The head of the squad, Moses Binoga, said intelligence reports linked two men and several others to ritual murders. He said the prime suspect and owner of the shrine, Hussein Kalule, had fled the area. Kalule heads a racket of traditional medicine men, who were suspected to be involved in the disappearance of people who seek their services. “We have reports that these doctors have been taking their clients to isolated places along Lake Victoria’s shores, and to rocky hills in Busaabala and Mpigi. Some of their victims are never heard from again,” he said. http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/19/704603
Uganda - Witch doctors reveal extent of child sacrifice in Uganda
A former witch-doctor who now campaigns to end child sacrifice confessed for the first time to having murdered about 70 people, including his own son. He then led a BBC team to his secret shrine and said he had clients who regularly captured children and brought their blood and body parts to be consumed by the spirits. The Ugandan government has said that human sacrifice is on the increase, and according to the head of the country's Anti-Human Sacrifice Taskforce the crime is directly linked to rising levels of development and prosperity, and an increasing belief that witchcraft can help people get rich quickly. Former witch-doctor turned anti-sacrifice campaigner Polino Angela says he has persuaded 2,400 other traditional healers to give up the trade since he himself repented in 1990. In the course of our investigation we witnessed the ritual torching of the shrine of a particularly active witch doctor in northern Uganda by anti-sacrifice campaigners. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8441813.stm
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