China's Henan province on Monday banned the sale of drugs for medical abortions in coordination with the province's efforts to maintain gender balance among infants, Xinhua/China Daily reports. People who violate the law could receive fines of between $385 and $2,564 and risk having their illegal profits seized by the state, and a pregnant woman who undergoes an abortion illegally could face a fine of $256. According to Xinhua/China Daily, local government sources said the ban could be seen as a measure to support regulations prohibiting sex-selective abortion in the province. Under those regulations, which took effect on Monday, abortion is permitted only if the fetus has a serious hereditary disease or severe birth defect, if continuation of gestation will damage the health or life of the pregnant woman, or if the pregnant woman is divorced or widowed (Xinhua/China Daily, 1/3). A 2000 census found that the ratio of infant boys to infant girls in Henan was about 118 boys for every 100 girls. The worldwide ratio is about 107 boys to 100 girls (BBC News, 1/3). According to the Henan Population and Family Planning Commission, the direct cause of the imbalance was gender identification with "advanced technology" and abortions of female fetuses (Xinhua/China Daily, 1/3). Sex-selective abortion is banned nationwide, but physicians who help people determine a fetus' sex for nonmedical reasons generally face only administrative penalties (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 8/3/06).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
суббота, 28 апреля 2012 г.
суббота, 21 апреля 2012 г.
Pre-eclampsia Kidney Disease Link
Pre-eclampsia is a complication in pregnancy occurring in approximately eight percent of all pregnancies. It is characterised by elevated blood pressure and protein in the urine. It generally develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Medical doctor and researcher Bjoern Egil Vikse from the Department of Medicine at University of Bergeb is the first author of an upcoming article in the March issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Vikse explains that there were two reasons for becoming involved in this work. The first was that a collegaue had previously found a strong correlation between pre-eclampsia and a later incidence of cardiovascular disease. The second is that UiB researchers have a unique research tool. They have access to two large databases: one is a birth registry; the other is a kidney biopsy registry. This enables them to use large, well-documented data pools in their work.
The Birth Registry provided Vikse with data from 1967 and the Kidney Biopsy Registry dates from 1988.
Unexpectedly strong correlation
Vikse and his colleagues first compared data from the two registries to see if there was a correlation between the children of mothers who had experienced pre-eclampsia and incidence of kidney disease in these children. They found no correlation.
They then compared the two databases for a possible correlation between the incidence of pre-eclampsia and later incidence of kidney disease in the mothers and found an unexpectedly strong result.
"We were amazed that the correlation was so strong," says Vikse. The data showed that pre-eclampsia alone was responsible for the mothers having a 3.3% increased risk of developing kidney disease later. If, in addition, the child had a low birth weight, the risk increased to a 4.8% increased risk with low birth-weight and a dramatic17% increased risk with very low birth-weight.
Another unexpected finding was that the increased risk was not associated with any particular kidney disease: all kidney diseases had a similar increased risk.
"You would expect the risk increase to be linked to a particular disease," explains Vikse. "It was most unusual to find that this was not the case."
Future directions
Vikse explains that the researchers will now try to characterise the correlation further as well as checking for correlations with other medical conditions such as kidney failure. Studies into the development of both pre-eclampsia and kidney disease are also needed to see if there are any similarities between the mechanisms by which both medical conditions develop.
According to Vikse, there are also more far-reaching consequences as well. This result suggests that information about having experienced a pregnancy with pre-eclampsia should be included in a woman's medical history record. Such women need to be followed up for the rest of their lives because of their increased risk of cardiovascular and kidney disease.
www.uib.no/info/english
RESEARCH COUNCIL OF NORWAY
P.O Box 2700,
St.Hanshaugen,
N-0131,
Oslo,
forskningsradet.no
About the RESEARCH COUNCIL OF NORWAY>/b>
The Research Council of Norway plays a vital role in developing and implementing the country''s national research strategy. It acts as: * a government adviser, identifying present and future needs for knowledge and research; * a funding agency for independent research programmes and projects, strategic programmes at research institutes, and Norwegian participation in international research programmes; * a co-ordinator, initiating networks and promoting co-operation between R&D institutions, ministries, business and industry, public agencies and enterprises, other sources of funding, and users of research. The Executive Board of the Research Council of Norway is responsible for the Council''s policy at the national level. Six research boards, one for each research division, submit annual strategic plans and budgets to the main Executive Board for final approval. Important research priorities according to the Research Council are: * basic research * marine research * information and communication technology * health research * energy and climate research * biotechnology * petroleum research * material science Approximately one third of Norway''s public sector research investment is channelled through the Research Council. The remainder is transferred directly from the ministries to the relevant research institutions. In 1999, Norway spent a total of NOK 20 billion on R&D, of which public sector allocations accounted for roughly NOK 8.5 billion. In 2003 the Research Council of Norway has a budget of NOK 4,4 billion.
Medical doctor and researcher Bjoern Egil Vikse from the Department of Medicine at University of Bergeb is the first author of an upcoming article in the March issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Vikse explains that there were two reasons for becoming involved in this work. The first was that a collegaue had previously found a strong correlation between pre-eclampsia and a later incidence of cardiovascular disease. The second is that UiB researchers have a unique research tool. They have access to two large databases: one is a birth registry; the other is a kidney biopsy registry. This enables them to use large, well-documented data pools in their work.
The Birth Registry provided Vikse with data from 1967 and the Kidney Biopsy Registry dates from 1988.
Unexpectedly strong correlation
Vikse and his colleagues first compared data from the two registries to see if there was a correlation between the children of mothers who had experienced pre-eclampsia and incidence of kidney disease in these children. They found no correlation.
They then compared the two databases for a possible correlation between the incidence of pre-eclampsia and later incidence of kidney disease in the mothers and found an unexpectedly strong result.
"We were amazed that the correlation was so strong," says Vikse. The data showed that pre-eclampsia alone was responsible for the mothers having a 3.3% increased risk of developing kidney disease later. If, in addition, the child had a low birth weight, the risk increased to a 4.8% increased risk with low birth-weight and a dramatic17% increased risk with very low birth-weight.
Another unexpected finding was that the increased risk was not associated with any particular kidney disease: all kidney diseases had a similar increased risk.
"You would expect the risk increase to be linked to a particular disease," explains Vikse. "It was most unusual to find that this was not the case."
Future directions
Vikse explains that the researchers will now try to characterise the correlation further as well as checking for correlations with other medical conditions such as kidney failure. Studies into the development of both pre-eclampsia and kidney disease are also needed to see if there are any similarities between the mechanisms by which both medical conditions develop.
According to Vikse, there are also more far-reaching consequences as well. This result suggests that information about having experienced a pregnancy with pre-eclampsia should be included in a woman's medical history record. Such women need to be followed up for the rest of their lives because of their increased risk of cardiovascular and kidney disease.
www.uib.no/info/english
RESEARCH COUNCIL OF NORWAY
P.O Box 2700,
St.Hanshaugen,
N-0131,
Oslo,
forskningsradet.no
About the RESEARCH COUNCIL OF NORWAY>/b>
The Research Council of Norway plays a vital role in developing and implementing the country''s national research strategy. It acts as: * a government adviser, identifying present and future needs for knowledge and research; * a funding agency for independent research programmes and projects, strategic programmes at research institutes, and Norwegian participation in international research programmes; * a co-ordinator, initiating networks and promoting co-operation between R&D institutions, ministries, business and industry, public agencies and enterprises, other sources of funding, and users of research. The Executive Board of the Research Council of Norway is responsible for the Council''s policy at the national level. Six research boards, one for each research division, submit annual strategic plans and budgets to the main Executive Board for final approval. Important research priorities according to the Research Council are: * basic research * marine research * information and communication technology * health research * energy and climate research * biotechnology * petroleum research * material science Approximately one third of Norway''s public sector research investment is channelled through the Research Council. The remainder is transferred directly from the ministries to the relevant research institutions. In 1999, Norway spent a total of NOK 20 billion on R&D, of which public sector allocations accounted for roughly NOK 8.5 billion. In 2003 the Research Council of Norway has a budget of NOK 4,4 billion.
суббота, 14 апреля 2012 г.
Early Detection Of Second Breast Cancers Halves Women's Risk Of Death
A group of international researchers has found the first reliable evidence that early detection of subsequent breast tumours in women who have already had the disease can halve the women's chances of death from breast cancer.
According to the research published online in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology [1], if the second breast cancer was picked up at its early, asymptomatic stage, then the women's chances of survival were improved by between 27-47% compared to women whose second breast cancer was detected at a later stage when symptoms had started to appear.
Until now, the impact of early detection of second breast cancers was unclear. Attempts to investigate it have been complicated by the fact that it is not possible to run randomised controlled trials because women who have already had one breast cancer are at higher risk of a relapse or a second breast cancer and, therefore, are generally advised to have regular breast checks as part of their follow-up care. What studies there have been have not made adjustments for the main factors that could bias the findings from a non-randomised study and often have looked at breast cancers occurring in either the same breast (ipsilateral relapse) or the other breast (contralateral) but not either breast.
The current study looked at 1,044 women who had attended one clinical centre in Florence (Italy) between 1980-2005 and who had developed a second breast cancer. In that time 455 women had ipsilateral breast cancers (IBC) diagnosed and 589 women had contralateral breast cancers (CBC) diagnosed. Of these second cancers, 699 (67%) were asymptomatic and 345 (33%) were symptomatic.
The researchers found that mammography was more sensitive than clinical examination for detecting second cancers (86% versus 57%). However, 13.8% of cases were only detected by clinical examination. Asymptomatic cancers were smaller than symptomatic for both IBC and CBC; early stage cancers were more frequent in asymptomatic (58.1%) than in symptomatic (22.6%) women; and fewer women with asymptomatic than symptomatic CBC had node metastases (an indicator that the cancer may have spread).
In the analysis of the results, the researchers (from Italy, Australia and the UK) adjusted to allow for lead-time bias (bias caused by an earlier detection of the cancer) and length-time bias (bias caused by the fact that some breast cancers develop more slowly than others and, therefore, are more likely to be detected at the asymptomatic stage and are less likely to cause death).
Associate Professor Nehmat Houssami, a breast physician and principle research fellow at the University of Sydney's School of Public Health, Australia, who led the study, said: "Intuitively, it makes sense to consider that early detection of second breast cancers will improve prognosis, since breast cancer survivors have a long-term risk of developing further disease or relapse in either breast. However, due to a paucity of evidence about this until now, current recommendations on surveillance of breast cancer survivors vary substantially between countries and organisations.
"Our study provides new evidence on several aspects of early detection of second breast cancers. We set out to estimate the effect of early, asymptomatic detection while adjusting for the two main biases known to be associated with non-randomised studies of the impact of early detection - lead time and length bias - so we believe that the estimates we report are more valid than previously reported estimates, while acknowledging the limitation that the evidence is not from a randomised controlled trial.
"In addition, we have estimated this for early detection of either ipsilateral or contralateral breast cancer, while other studies have focused on one or the other. So our estimates may be more useful for clinicians discussing this aspect of breast cancer follow-up with their patients."
She continued: "To our knowledge, this is the only study to have taken length-time bias into account when quantifying the impact of early, asymptomatic detection of breast cancer. This is important because slow-growing or indolent cancers have a much smaller probability of proving fatal, and this group of women will tend to be over-represented in the early-detected cancers, biasing the effect of screening to make it appear more beneficial."
In their paper, the researchers write: "Recommendations on follow-up after treatment of early breast cancer should consider our findings, which suggest that early detection of second breast cancer events improves prognosis in this ever-increasing group of women."
Prof Houssami said: "Periodic surveillance of women with BC is currently under scrutiny in some countries and questions have been raised as to the value of sustained follow-up of breast cancer survivors in some health settings. So I think this work provides a timely reminder of the potential benefit of early detection of second breast cancers and supports ongoing surveillance in this group of women."
She said that their finding that nearly 14% of second breast cancers were only detected by clinical examination and that mammograms had a sensitivity of 86% was also important. "There are health settings where new imaging (ultrasound or MRI) is advocated for screening because of the belief that mammography is not sufficient and misses too many cancers in breast cancer survivors. Our data suggest that mammography, with clinical examination, is sensitive and effective (with the caveat that the Florence centre where the study originated has established experience in mammography of at least 40 years). We feel that additional screening imaging should only be used selectively, for example, in women with extremely dense breasts, or when investigating questionable findings from the mammogram or clinical examination."
Prof Houssami concluded: "The next step is to determine how to maximise early detection in this specific setting while ensuring feasibility and efficiency. One possibility currently under exploration would be to estimate the risk of a symptomatic tumour and the stage of the symptomatic tumour by time since the last mammogram. There are many questions about the optimal process and model of surveillance, such as frequency for surveillance and who should be performing longer-term surveillance in breast cancer patients, that we have not addressed in this study. These issues require further research."
[1] Early detection of second breast cancers improves prognosis in breast cancer survivors. Annals of Oncology. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdp037
Annals of Oncology is a monthly journal published on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) by Oxford Journals.
Source
Annals of Oncology
According to the research published online in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology [1], if the second breast cancer was picked up at its early, asymptomatic stage, then the women's chances of survival were improved by between 27-47% compared to women whose second breast cancer was detected at a later stage when symptoms had started to appear.
Until now, the impact of early detection of second breast cancers was unclear. Attempts to investigate it have been complicated by the fact that it is not possible to run randomised controlled trials because women who have already had one breast cancer are at higher risk of a relapse or a second breast cancer and, therefore, are generally advised to have regular breast checks as part of their follow-up care. What studies there have been have not made adjustments for the main factors that could bias the findings from a non-randomised study and often have looked at breast cancers occurring in either the same breast (ipsilateral relapse) or the other breast (contralateral) but not either breast.
The current study looked at 1,044 women who had attended one clinical centre in Florence (Italy) between 1980-2005 and who had developed a second breast cancer. In that time 455 women had ipsilateral breast cancers (IBC) diagnosed and 589 women had contralateral breast cancers (CBC) diagnosed. Of these second cancers, 699 (67%) were asymptomatic and 345 (33%) were symptomatic.
The researchers found that mammography was more sensitive than clinical examination for detecting second cancers (86% versus 57%). However, 13.8% of cases were only detected by clinical examination. Asymptomatic cancers were smaller than symptomatic for both IBC and CBC; early stage cancers were more frequent in asymptomatic (58.1%) than in symptomatic (22.6%) women; and fewer women with asymptomatic than symptomatic CBC had node metastases (an indicator that the cancer may have spread).
In the analysis of the results, the researchers (from Italy, Australia and the UK) adjusted to allow for lead-time bias (bias caused by an earlier detection of the cancer) and length-time bias (bias caused by the fact that some breast cancers develop more slowly than others and, therefore, are more likely to be detected at the asymptomatic stage and are less likely to cause death).
Associate Professor Nehmat Houssami, a breast physician and principle research fellow at the University of Sydney's School of Public Health, Australia, who led the study, said: "Intuitively, it makes sense to consider that early detection of second breast cancers will improve prognosis, since breast cancer survivors have a long-term risk of developing further disease or relapse in either breast. However, due to a paucity of evidence about this until now, current recommendations on surveillance of breast cancer survivors vary substantially between countries and organisations.
"Our study provides new evidence on several aspects of early detection of second breast cancers. We set out to estimate the effect of early, asymptomatic detection while adjusting for the two main biases known to be associated with non-randomised studies of the impact of early detection - lead time and length bias - so we believe that the estimates we report are more valid than previously reported estimates, while acknowledging the limitation that the evidence is not from a randomised controlled trial.
"In addition, we have estimated this for early detection of either ipsilateral or contralateral breast cancer, while other studies have focused on one or the other. So our estimates may be more useful for clinicians discussing this aspect of breast cancer follow-up with their patients."
She continued: "To our knowledge, this is the only study to have taken length-time bias into account when quantifying the impact of early, asymptomatic detection of breast cancer. This is important because slow-growing or indolent cancers have a much smaller probability of proving fatal, and this group of women will tend to be over-represented in the early-detected cancers, biasing the effect of screening to make it appear more beneficial."
In their paper, the researchers write: "Recommendations on follow-up after treatment of early breast cancer should consider our findings, which suggest that early detection of second breast cancer events improves prognosis in this ever-increasing group of women."
Prof Houssami said: "Periodic surveillance of women with BC is currently under scrutiny in some countries and questions have been raised as to the value of sustained follow-up of breast cancer survivors in some health settings. So I think this work provides a timely reminder of the potential benefit of early detection of second breast cancers and supports ongoing surveillance in this group of women."
She said that their finding that nearly 14% of second breast cancers were only detected by clinical examination and that mammograms had a sensitivity of 86% was also important. "There are health settings where new imaging (ultrasound or MRI) is advocated for screening because of the belief that mammography is not sufficient and misses too many cancers in breast cancer survivors. Our data suggest that mammography, with clinical examination, is sensitive and effective (with the caveat that the Florence centre where the study originated has established experience in mammography of at least 40 years). We feel that additional screening imaging should only be used selectively, for example, in women with extremely dense breasts, or when investigating questionable findings from the mammogram or clinical examination."
Prof Houssami concluded: "The next step is to determine how to maximise early detection in this specific setting while ensuring feasibility and efficiency. One possibility currently under exploration would be to estimate the risk of a symptomatic tumour and the stage of the symptomatic tumour by time since the last mammogram. There are many questions about the optimal process and model of surveillance, such as frequency for surveillance and who should be performing longer-term surveillance in breast cancer patients, that we have not addressed in this study. These issues require further research."
[1] Early detection of second breast cancers improves prognosis in breast cancer survivors. Annals of Oncology. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdp037
Annals of Oncology is a monthly journal published on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) by Oxford Journals.
Source
Annals of Oncology
суббота, 7 апреля 2012 г.
Long Haul Flights Double Risk Of Blood Clots, Says WHO Report
The results from phase I of a group of studies by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the hazards of travel suggest that travellers who sit immobile
for four hours or more, for example in a plane, train, bus or car, are doubling their risk of getting a blood clot (venous thromboembolism or VTE).
The absolute risk of developing a blood clot is still quite small however: double a very small number and you still have a relatively small number. The
absolute risk of developing VTE from being seated immobile for four hours or more is about 1 in 6,000 the study concluded.
This is the main finding of Phase I of the WHO Research Into Global Hazards of Travel (WRIGHT) project, which was released today.
The VTE occurs when the blood stagnates in the veins after being seated for a long time. VTE usually leads to a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary
embolism.
A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is where a blood clot or thrombus occurs in a deep vein, usually in the lower part of the leg.
Symptoms of DVT include localized pain, tenderness and swelling. It is life-threatening when it happens together with thromboembolism, where part or all of
the blood clot breaks off and travels to the lungs where it lodges in a blood vessel and becomes a pulmonary embolism that blocks the flow of essential
blood. Symptoms of pulmonary embolism include pains in the chest and difficulty breathing.
DVT can be detected and treated, and so can VTE, but if it is not, it can be fatal.
One of the studies in the WRIGHT project looked at flying in particular. It showed that taking several flights over a short period of time also put
travellers at higher risk of developing VTEs. This is because the elevated risk of a VTE from one flight stays high for about four weeks, and if more flights are
made in those four weeks, the risk accumulates.
The WRIGHT report showed that other factors that can elevate a traveller's risk of getting a VTE include:
Being obese.
Being very tall or very short (taller than 1.9 metres or 6 ft 3 in, or shorter than 1.6 metres or 5 ft 3 in).
Using oral contraceptives.
Inherited blood disorders that lead to increased clotting tendency.
The study did not investigate how to prevent DVT or VTE but experts do say that travellers should move their feet up and down at the ankle to exercise their
calf muscles and get the blood circulating in their lower legs.
Also, travellers should not wear tight clothes during travel because they encourage blood stagnation.
The authors suggest that transport authorities, airlines and doctors should inform travellers about the risk of getting VTE while travelling.
They said further studies should be done to determine the most effective ways to prevent VTEs. This is the goal of Phase II of the WRIGHT project, which is
awaiting further funding.
In the meantime the WHO advises passengers to consult their doctors about the risks of VTE before they travel.
The WRIGHT project was set up following the report in 2000 of a young female English traveller who died from a pulmonary embolism after a long haul flight
from Australia. Later in that year, the Select Committee on Science and Technology of the United Kingdom House of Lords recommded research be done on DVT
and associated risks and an expert group was convened by the WHO the following Spring, six years ago.
Phase I of the WRIGHT project was funded by the UK Government's Department for Transport and Department of Health and the European Commission.
The purpose of Phase I was to confirm whether air travel increased the risk of VTE and if so by how much.
There were five studies altogether, conducted by researchers from the Universities of Leiden, Amsterdam, Leicester, Newcastle, Aberdeen and Lausanne. The
studies were:
A case controlled population study on the risk factors of VTE.
Two retrospective cohort studies on employees of international organizations and Dutch commercial pilots that investigated risk of VTE due to air
travel.
Two pathophysiological studies that investigated the impact of immobility on travel-related VTE, and the influence, if any, of low oxygen and low
pressure in the aircraft cabin on travel-related VTE.
Click here to see
the full WRIGHT report (PDF reader required).
: Catharine Paddock
Writer: blog
for four hours or more, for example in a plane, train, bus or car, are doubling their risk of getting a blood clot (venous thromboembolism or VTE).
The absolute risk of developing a blood clot is still quite small however: double a very small number and you still have a relatively small number. The
absolute risk of developing VTE from being seated immobile for four hours or more is about 1 in 6,000 the study concluded.
This is the main finding of Phase I of the WHO Research Into Global Hazards of Travel (WRIGHT) project, which was released today.
The VTE occurs when the blood stagnates in the veins after being seated for a long time. VTE usually leads to a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary
embolism.
A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is where a blood clot or thrombus occurs in a deep vein, usually in the lower part of the leg.
Symptoms of DVT include localized pain, tenderness and swelling. It is life-threatening when it happens together with thromboembolism, where part or all of
the blood clot breaks off and travels to the lungs where it lodges in a blood vessel and becomes a pulmonary embolism that blocks the flow of essential
blood. Symptoms of pulmonary embolism include pains in the chest and difficulty breathing.
DVT can be detected and treated, and so can VTE, but if it is not, it can be fatal.
One of the studies in the WRIGHT project looked at flying in particular. It showed that taking several flights over a short period of time also put
travellers at higher risk of developing VTEs. This is because the elevated risk of a VTE from one flight stays high for about four weeks, and if more flights are
made in those four weeks, the risk accumulates.
The WRIGHT report showed that other factors that can elevate a traveller's risk of getting a VTE include:
Being obese.
Being very tall or very short (taller than 1.9 metres or 6 ft 3 in, or shorter than 1.6 metres or 5 ft 3 in).
Using oral contraceptives.
Inherited blood disorders that lead to increased clotting tendency.
The study did not investigate how to prevent DVT or VTE but experts do say that travellers should move their feet up and down at the ankle to exercise their
calf muscles and get the blood circulating in their lower legs.
Also, travellers should not wear tight clothes during travel because they encourage blood stagnation.
The authors suggest that transport authorities, airlines and doctors should inform travellers about the risk of getting VTE while travelling.
They said further studies should be done to determine the most effective ways to prevent VTEs. This is the goal of Phase II of the WRIGHT project, which is
awaiting further funding.
In the meantime the WHO advises passengers to consult their doctors about the risks of VTE before they travel.
The WRIGHT project was set up following the report in 2000 of a young female English traveller who died from a pulmonary embolism after a long haul flight
from Australia. Later in that year, the Select Committee on Science and Technology of the United Kingdom House of Lords recommded research be done on DVT
and associated risks and an expert group was convened by the WHO the following Spring, six years ago.
Phase I of the WRIGHT project was funded by the UK Government's Department for Transport and Department of Health and the European Commission.
The purpose of Phase I was to confirm whether air travel increased the risk of VTE and if so by how much.
There were five studies altogether, conducted by researchers from the Universities of Leiden, Amsterdam, Leicester, Newcastle, Aberdeen and Lausanne. The
studies were:
A case controlled population study on the risk factors of VTE.
Two retrospective cohort studies on employees of international organizations and Dutch commercial pilots that investigated risk of VTE due to air
travel.
Two pathophysiological studies that investigated the impact of immobility on travel-related VTE, and the influence, if any, of low oxygen and low
pressure in the aircraft cabin on travel-related VTE.
Click here to see
the full WRIGHT report (PDF reader required).
: Catharine Paddock
Writer: blog
суббота, 31 марта 2012 г.
Blogs Comment On Health Reform, Maternal Mortality, Breast Cancer, Other Topics
The following summarizes selected women's health-related blog entries.
White House To Meet With Antiabortion Activists Next Week," Jake Tapper, ABC News' "Political Punch": Melody Barnes, domestic policy adviser to President Obama and director of the Domestic Policy Council, and White House Director of Public Liaison Tina Tchen on Thursday will meet with Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life Action to discuss reproductive rights-related issues in health reform proposals, the blog entry says. According to Yoest, the meetings' participants will discuss abortion, provider "conscience" clauses and care for the elderly. The meeting comes after Yoest wrote a letter to Obama in June. In the letter, Yoest said that health reform legislation "would delegate to bureaucratic committees the role of determining the minimum benefits that any private or public health care plan must offer," including family planning and abortion services. Yoest wrote that she is concerned that the bills do not include language that explicitly excludes coverage for abortion services, adding, "We're a non-partisan group so I felt like we in good faith needed to make the effort" to reach out to the White House (Tapper, "Political Punch," ABC News, 9/11).
"When Planning a Pregnancy Can Save a Woman's Life," Ana Langer, Huffington Post blogs: A recent UNICEF report "is the latest in a series of drumbeats for a concerted, large-scale campaign to save the lives of mothers and newborns worldwide, far too many of whom are dying from entirely preventable causes," Langer, president of EngenderHealth, writes. She adds that Congress should approve a spending increase for family planning and maternal health in the fiscal year 2010 Foreign Operations Bill (S 1434). According to Langer, 99% of the more than half million maternal deaths per year occur in developing countries, "where maternal care is scarce." The U.S. "can do our part" to reduce maternal mortality "by doing more to fund lifesaving efforts" like family planning services, Langer continues. "Education about, and access to, contraception is also critical for saving lives ... because when women and their partners are empowered to decide if and when to have children, it can significantly reduce the likelihood that mothers will die in childbirth," Langer writes. She adds, "In this day and age, no woman should die giving life," and "no woman should die because she was unable to plan her pregnancy." The health of women and their children "is the currency that stabilizes communities and allows for economic development," Langer continues, concluding, "That's what family planning is about, and it's why [it] should be included in any global effort to protect the lives of women and newborns" (Langer, Huffington Post blogs, 9/14).
"Stoking Fire: Anti-Choicers Target Komen Foundation," Eleanor Bader, RH Reality Check: The well-documented fact that an abortion or miscarriage does not increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer "has failed to quiet" antiabortion groups and endocrinologist Joel Brind of Baruch College, who first claimed a link between abortion and breast cancer in the early 1980s, Bader writes. She adds that "apparently, preaching to their own hasn't gotten the antis adequate play, so they are now targeting Susan G. Komen for the Cure," a group that advocates for breast cancer treatment and research. The organization, which has raised more than $60 million for research, has been "dubbed ... a menace to women" by Roman Catholic dioceses across the U.S. and organizations like STOPP, an affiliate of the American Life League, Bader writes. She continues, "The naysayers have two objections," including "advis[ing] women to begin reproducing when they are young and warn[ing] them about the abortion/breast cancer connection." Bader adds, "Not surprisingly, this contention has gained little traction, even among right-wingers, so the anti-Komen posse has trucked out a reliable antiabortion bugaboo," the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which receives grants for breast cancer screening and education programs from Komen. "Although it's far too soon to predict the upshot of the federal health care battle, by all accounts the anti-Komen campaign has fallen flat, doing little to hamper the group's ongoing efforts," Bader says (Bader, RH Reality Check, 9/15).
"Rights Group Calls Obama's Comments on Abortion in Health Reform 'Lamentable,'" Jodi Jacobson, RH Reality Check: Jacobson writes, "For women's rights groups, who saw health reform as a chance to advance reproductive justice -- including equity access for low-income women to all legal reproductive and sexual health services including abortion care -- the past few months have been a serious disappointment." According to Jacobson, "Disorganization and lack of clear leadership from the White House and Congress [have] left the Democrats once again ceding the conversation and the political territory to the far right." She adds, "Now, even in a compromise in which no federal funding for legal abortion services for women will be allowed, the president has been persistently reinforcing, if only rhetorically, the barriers low-income women face to care, and to exercising their basic human rights to whether, when and with whom to have children." She reports that the Center for Reproductive Rights has "openly expressed disappointment in the process and in the president's comments on abortion funding in his speech" last Wednesday to Congress. Jacobson includes a statement from CRR President Nancy Northup. She concludes, "There is as yet no guarantee that the Capps Amendment -- which protects the rights of women to access to abortion care under private insurance even where federal funding subsidies exist for some enrollees -- will survive the legislative process, and far right groups and legislators continue to mislead on the issue of abortion care in health reform" (Jacobson, RH Reality Check, 9/11).
"Did Sebelius Back More Steps for Banning Abortion Funding in Health Care?" Dan Gilgoff, U.S. News & World Report's "God & Country": Gilgoff writes that comments from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius during an appearance Sunday on ABC's "This Week" "seemed to suggest that President Obama would go further than the current House health care bill (HR 3200) does in preventing public financing of abortions." However, Gilgoff says, a "second reading of her remarks makes it pretty clear that she's merely seconding Obama's previous commitment to preventing government money from funding abortion." He concludes, "Religious conservatives disagree, but I don't think Sebelius' comments mean that Obama's coming around to their side" (Gilgoff, "God & Country," U.S. News & World Report, 9/14).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
суббота, 24 марта 2012 г.
Pope Condemns Sexual Violence Against Women, Criticizes African Countries' Move To Legalize Some Abortions
Speaking in Angola during a weeklong tour of Africa, Pope Benedict XVI on Friday condemned sexual violence against women and criticized moves by some African countries to legalize some abortions, the AP/Google reports. In a speech in Luanda, Angola, Benedict said, "Particularly disturbing is the crushing yoke of discrimination that women and girls so often endure, not to mention the unspeakable practice of sexual violence and exploitation, which causes such humiliation and trauma." He also condemned the "irony of those who promote abortion as a form of 'maternal' health care," adding, "How disconcerting the claim that the termination of life is a matter of reproductive health." According to the AP/Google, the pope's comments referred to an African Union agreement signed by Angola and 44 other countries stating that abortion should be legal in cases of rape, incest or when the woman's life is in danger. Angola, a former Portuguese colony, is predominantly Catholic, with about 8.6 million residents, more than 60% of the population, who are members of the faith. Traditionally, Angolans have had large families, but in recent years many have cited the country's high cost of living as a reason for wanting to curtail family growth, according to the AP/Google (Simpson, AP/Google, 3/20).
Vatican Official Speaks Out Against Excommunication Over Abortion for Brazilian Girl
In related news, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the top bioethics official for the Vatican, said that excommunication was unwarranted in the case of two Brazilian doctors who performed an abortion on a nine-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by her stepfather, the Religion News Service/Washington Post reports. Fisichella's statement on the abortion case was the lead article in a recent issue of the official Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. The abortion case stirred controversy when the local archbishop, Josa Cardoso Sobrinho, excommunicated the doctors and the mother of the girl for allowing the abortion, which was performed when the girl was about 15 weeks pregnant. The doctors said carrying the pregnancy to term would have been life-threatening for the girl, who weighed 80 pounds. Fisichella, who did not address the excommunication of the girl's mother, said that although abortion is an "intrinsically wicked act," it might have been the lesser evil under the circumstances. He stressed that a degree of moral discretion is required for doctors, a position that is in contrast to the church's usual stance on abortion, the Religion News Service/Post reports. "The life was in serious danger because of the pregnancy in progress," he wrote, adding, "How to act in these cases? An arduous decision for the physician and for the moral law itself."
According to the Religion News Service/Post, Fisichella's article included a "frank rebuke" of Archbishop Sobrinho, accusing the archbishop of rushing to declare excommunication. Fisichella wrote that Sobrinho's action affected the "credibility" of the church's teaching, adding that now the church "appears in the eyes of so many as insensitive, incomprehensible and lacking in mercy." The Religion News Service/Post reports that Vatican journalist Sandro Magister said it is likely that Fisichella's statement was approved by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who as secretary of state is considered to be the Vatican's second highest official after the Pope. Fisichella's statement contradicts Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, who publicly defended the action of Archbishop Sobrinho (Rocca, Religion News Service/Washington Post, 3/21).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
Vatican Official Speaks Out Against Excommunication Over Abortion for Brazilian Girl
In related news, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the top bioethics official for the Vatican, said that excommunication was unwarranted in the case of two Brazilian doctors who performed an abortion on a nine-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by her stepfather, the Religion News Service/Washington Post reports. Fisichella's statement on the abortion case was the lead article in a recent issue of the official Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. The abortion case stirred controversy when the local archbishop, Josa Cardoso Sobrinho, excommunicated the doctors and the mother of the girl for allowing the abortion, which was performed when the girl was about 15 weeks pregnant. The doctors said carrying the pregnancy to term would have been life-threatening for the girl, who weighed 80 pounds. Fisichella, who did not address the excommunication of the girl's mother, said that although abortion is an "intrinsically wicked act," it might have been the lesser evil under the circumstances. He stressed that a degree of moral discretion is required for doctors, a position that is in contrast to the church's usual stance on abortion, the Religion News Service/Post reports. "The life was in serious danger because of the pregnancy in progress," he wrote, adding, "How to act in these cases? An arduous decision for the physician and for the moral law itself."
According to the Religion News Service/Post, Fisichella's article included a "frank rebuke" of Archbishop Sobrinho, accusing the archbishop of rushing to declare excommunication. Fisichella wrote that Sobrinho's action affected the "credibility" of the church's teaching, adding that now the church "appears in the eyes of so many as insensitive, incomprehensible and lacking in mercy." The Religion News Service/Post reports that Vatican journalist Sandro Magister said it is likely that Fisichella's statement was approved by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who as secretary of state is considered to be the Vatican's second highest official after the Pope. Fisichella's statement contradicts Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, who publicly defended the action of Archbishop Sobrinho (Rocca, Religion News Service/Washington Post, 3/21).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
суббота, 17 марта 2012 г.
Blogs Comment On Levi Johnston, Obama's Budget Proposal, Other Topics
The following summarizes selected women's health-related blog entries.
~ "Why We Need Bristol (And Levi)," Cristina Page, Birth Control Watch: Bristol Palin and the Candie's Foundation's "shared message to teens is: you don't want to become a teen parent," something that "traditional pregnancy prevention messages have often missed" because they "assumed that teens don't need convincing on that issue," Page writes. The Candie's Foundation recently made Palin, the daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), an ambassador to promote teen pregnancy prevention. However, "there is one thing very important missing from the Candie's campaign," Page says. The national conversation on teen pregnancy "desperately needs" the involvement of teenage boys like Levi Johnston, the father of Palin's four-month-old son, Page writes. Johnston "brings with him a great chance to make boys the stakeholders they inevitably are" and "offers a unique perspective on the difficulties of being a teen father, one that will resonate with boys in a way [Palin's] point of view will not," she continues. In making Palin a teen pregnancy prevention ambassador, the Candie's Foundation is "taking a big risk," and it "would extend that risk further by giving [Johnston] an equal voice in the discussion," Page writes. She continues, "But with big risk comes the possibility for great gains, too." Palin and Johnston are "bravely offering their intensely personal misstep up for others to learn from. The may be at odds with each other, ... but they are united in their message about the not-so-glamorous life of teen parents," she says (Page, Birth Control Watch, 5/8).
~ "The Next Justice: What Obama Wants," Geoffrey Stone, Huffington Post blogs: Four factors "will be especially important" to President Obama when he is deciding on his Supreme Court nominee to replace retiring Justice David Souter, according to Stone, a law professor at the University of Chicago. Stone says that the factors include: high intellectual ability; moderately liberal stances on issues; a "strong voice" on the role of the Supreme Court; and the ability to "[b]uild a consensus within the Court." The "essence," for Obama, of the terms "moderate liberal" and "conservative" is "his continuing reference to 'empathy,'" Stone writes. He continues that Obama "wants to appoint a justice who understands that a unique role in our system of government is to be especially attentive to the interests of the unrepresented, the oppressed, political and religious dissenters, those accused of crime and minorities who have traditionally lost out in the political process." The U.S. and the Supreme Court "badly need a justice who can articulate a progressive view of constitutional interpretation, both to counter the conservatives on the Court and to change the terms of the national debate," he writes. Obama will also "want to appoint a justice who adds a measure of diversity of experience and perspective within the court," such as a woman or racial minority, Stone concludes (Stone, Huffington Post blogs, 5/11).
~ Blog Posts Examine Sex Education, Other Provisions in Obama's Budget Proposal, Jodi Jacobson/Sharon Camp/AmplifyYourVoice: Obama's fiscal 2010 budget proposal that was released last week "puts us on the road to evidence-based public health policy," Jacobson writes in a RH Reality Check blog entry. However, it "does not, unfortunately, really advance the journey towards comprehensive sex education, and is therefore a missed opportunity," she writes (Jacobson, RH Reality Check, 5/9). Camp writes in a Huffington Post blog entry that although the "most welcome development" of the budget proposal is "the abolition of 'abstinence-only-until-marriage' programs," it is important to remember that the proposal "is just a starting point" and that "Congress gets a crack at whether to accept, reject or modify the president's recommendations." Camp in the blog post assesses several areas of the budget related to women's health, including sex education, access to abortion, family planning and global health issues, among others (Camp, Huffington Post blogs, 5/8). AmplifyYourVoice writes in a Daily Kos blog entry that the Obama proposal "struck a blow to the abstinence-only community" but that "these people are not giving up." The blog post continues, "And considering that our fight to end funding for abstinence-only programs is long from over, considering that Congress must pass this budget without sneaking funding for ab-only back in, neither should we." The blog post includes links to videos of comments from abstinence-only supporters (AmplifyYourVoice, Daily Kos, 5/8).
~ "For the Culture War, a Hail Mary," Chris Korzen, Huffington Post blogs: Attempts by "culture warriors" on the right to "sabotage" President Obama's plan to give the commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame later this month "is ostensibly an effort to reassert the Church's position on abortion," Korzen writes. "In reality, the Notre Dame 'scandal' is little more than a manufactured controversy, and a predictable product of the Republican coalition's current sorry state of affairs," he continues. Korzen writes that Obama's "genuine commitment to prevention has ruffled the feathers of absolutists on both sides of the aisle. But for abortion 'grays' -- those Americans who remain conflicted about abortion, many of them moderate swing voters -- the president's willingness to acknowledge the moral dimension of the issue is a breath of fresh air." He notes that the opposition to the Notre Dame speech isn't coming from the "pious masses" but from "Catholic Republican front groups" like Fidelis, the Catholic League and the Cardinal Newman Society. He concludes that even "if the party faithful can be convinced that the culture war's benefits outweigh its costs, the radical voice will continue to dominate the Republican agenda" (Korzen, Huffington Post blogs, 5/8).
~ "'Conscience Rules' Ignore Patient," Sally Steenland, Washington Post's On Faith: President Obama's proposed rescission of the Bush administration's HHS provider "conscience" rule "should set a fairer balance between the rights, needs and responsibilities of providers and patients," Steenland, a senior policy adviser at the Center for American Progress, writes. Steenland adds that the Obama administration's final version is expected to be released soon. The public debate surrounding the current rule "is usually framed as one of provider conscience vs. patient access," she says, adding, "The problem is that this frame ignores the conscience of the patient." For example, she writes, a woman might be taking birth control because of a decision from her conscience, and when a pharmacist refuses to fill that woman's prescription, the pharmacist is "defying the patient's conscience in favor of his or her own." Steenland continues, "One conscience should never trump all others." She writes that "we must find ways to negotiate conflicting consciences so that religious liberty is respected and health care is safeguarded" (Steenland, Washington Post's On Faith, 5/11).
~ "In Choosing Souter's Replacement, Obama Should Follow the Lead of ... George W. Bush?," Mitchell Bard, Huffington Post blogs: Bard writes that the "single most important thing" he learned in law school was that "U.S. Supreme Court justices are far more powerful in shaping American society than the average person realizes," adding that "the selection of a justice to the Court is one of the most important decisions a president will make during his time in office." He continues, "I have full confidence that President Obama understands the immense importance of selecting the right replacement for David Souter. My hope is that as he goes through the process, he uses as his guide" former President George W. Bush -- "the most unlikely of mentors" -- in three areas. Bard notes Obama should "influence the court for the next 20 years" as Bush did in selecting younger judges or "go Bush one better and appoint a justice in his or her early to middle 40s, giving the candidate the opportunity to shape American policy for 30 to 40 years." Obama also should put in place "progressives to balance out Bush's conservative picks," Bard says. Furthermore, "Obama needs to select someone with an unassailably qualified resume," as "a lack of qualification is the only lifeline to the Republicans in bringing the choice down." Bard concludes that if Obama follows Bush's lead when selecting a replacement for Souter -- "a young progressive with a traditionally impressive resume -- he will have done a good job in carrying out his responsibilities" (Bard, Huffington Post blogs, 5/11).
~ "Houston Pulls a Palin," Abigail Kramer, Salon's Broadsheet: Kramer criticizes the city of Houston's recent decision to bill a woman for forensic evidence collection at a local hospital after she was raped. "A big thank you to the criminal justice establishment of Houston for giving victims one more reason not to report rape," Kramer writes. According to Kramer, Texas has a Crime Victims' Compensation Fund that automatically pays up to $700 of the cost of an investigation of sexual assault, but state law requires that victims exhaust all other potential sources before the fund pays more. Kramer writes, "This isn't the first time we've seen such dangerous nonsense." She recalls when Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), who at the time was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, allowed the city to charge victims for their own rape test kits, as well as other examples. Kramer concludes that it is difficult to know how common this practice is in other states because there is no federal law regulating who pays for what, which "would be treating rape like any other prosecutable, punishable violent crime" (Kramer, Salon's Broadsheet, 5/11).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
~ "Why We Need Bristol (And Levi)," Cristina Page, Birth Control Watch: Bristol Palin and the Candie's Foundation's "shared message to teens is: you don't want to become a teen parent," something that "traditional pregnancy prevention messages have often missed" because they "assumed that teens don't need convincing on that issue," Page writes. The Candie's Foundation recently made Palin, the daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), an ambassador to promote teen pregnancy prevention. However, "there is one thing very important missing from the Candie's campaign," Page says. The national conversation on teen pregnancy "desperately needs" the involvement of teenage boys like Levi Johnston, the father of Palin's four-month-old son, Page writes. Johnston "brings with him a great chance to make boys the stakeholders they inevitably are" and "offers a unique perspective on the difficulties of being a teen father, one that will resonate with boys in a way [Palin's] point of view will not," she continues. In making Palin a teen pregnancy prevention ambassador, the Candie's Foundation is "taking a big risk," and it "would extend that risk further by giving [Johnston] an equal voice in the discussion," Page writes. She continues, "But with big risk comes the possibility for great gains, too." Palin and Johnston are "bravely offering their intensely personal misstep up for others to learn from. The may be at odds with each other, ... but they are united in their message about the not-so-glamorous life of teen parents," she says (Page, Birth Control Watch, 5/8).
~ "The Next Justice: What Obama Wants," Geoffrey Stone, Huffington Post blogs: Four factors "will be especially important" to President Obama when he is deciding on his Supreme Court nominee to replace retiring Justice David Souter, according to Stone, a law professor at the University of Chicago. Stone says that the factors include: high intellectual ability; moderately liberal stances on issues; a "strong voice" on the role of the Supreme Court; and the ability to "[b]uild a consensus within the Court." The "essence," for Obama, of the terms "moderate liberal" and "conservative" is "his continuing reference to 'empathy,'" Stone writes. He continues that Obama "wants to appoint a justice who understands that a unique role in our system of government is to be especially attentive to the interests of the unrepresented, the oppressed, political and religious dissenters, those accused of crime and minorities who have traditionally lost out in the political process." The U.S. and the Supreme Court "badly need a justice who can articulate a progressive view of constitutional interpretation, both to counter the conservatives on the Court and to change the terms of the national debate," he writes. Obama will also "want to appoint a justice who adds a measure of diversity of experience and perspective within the court," such as a woman or racial minority, Stone concludes (Stone, Huffington Post blogs, 5/11).
~ Blog Posts Examine Sex Education, Other Provisions in Obama's Budget Proposal, Jodi Jacobson/Sharon Camp/AmplifyYourVoice: Obama's fiscal 2010 budget proposal that was released last week "puts us on the road to evidence-based public health policy," Jacobson writes in a RH Reality Check blog entry. However, it "does not, unfortunately, really advance the journey towards comprehensive sex education, and is therefore a missed opportunity," she writes (Jacobson, RH Reality Check, 5/9). Camp writes in a Huffington Post blog entry that although the "most welcome development" of the budget proposal is "the abolition of 'abstinence-only-until-marriage' programs," it is important to remember that the proposal "is just a starting point" and that "Congress gets a crack at whether to accept, reject or modify the president's recommendations." Camp in the blog post assesses several areas of the budget related to women's health, including sex education, access to abortion, family planning and global health issues, among others (Camp, Huffington Post blogs, 5/8). AmplifyYourVoice writes in a Daily Kos blog entry that the Obama proposal "struck a blow to the abstinence-only community" but that "these people are not giving up." The blog post continues, "And considering that our fight to end funding for abstinence-only programs is long from over, considering that Congress must pass this budget without sneaking funding for ab-only back in, neither should we." The blog post includes links to videos of comments from abstinence-only supporters (AmplifyYourVoice, Daily Kos, 5/8).
~ "For the Culture War, a Hail Mary," Chris Korzen, Huffington Post blogs: Attempts by "culture warriors" on the right to "sabotage" President Obama's plan to give the commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame later this month "is ostensibly an effort to reassert the Church's position on abortion," Korzen writes. "In reality, the Notre Dame 'scandal' is little more than a manufactured controversy, and a predictable product of the Republican coalition's current sorry state of affairs," he continues. Korzen writes that Obama's "genuine commitment to prevention has ruffled the feathers of absolutists on both sides of the aisle. But for abortion 'grays' -- those Americans who remain conflicted about abortion, many of them moderate swing voters -- the president's willingness to acknowledge the moral dimension of the issue is a breath of fresh air." He notes that the opposition to the Notre Dame speech isn't coming from the "pious masses" but from "Catholic Republican front groups" like Fidelis, the Catholic League and the Cardinal Newman Society. He concludes that even "if the party faithful can be convinced that the culture war's benefits outweigh its costs, the radical voice will continue to dominate the Republican agenda" (Korzen, Huffington Post blogs, 5/8).
~ "'Conscience Rules' Ignore Patient," Sally Steenland, Washington Post's On Faith: President Obama's proposed rescission of the Bush administration's HHS provider "conscience" rule "should set a fairer balance between the rights, needs and responsibilities of providers and patients," Steenland, a senior policy adviser at the Center for American Progress, writes. Steenland adds that the Obama administration's final version is expected to be released soon. The public debate surrounding the current rule "is usually framed as one of provider conscience vs. patient access," she says, adding, "The problem is that this frame ignores the conscience of the patient." For example, she writes, a woman might be taking birth control because of a decision from her conscience, and when a pharmacist refuses to fill that woman's prescription, the pharmacist is "defying the patient's conscience in favor of his or her own." Steenland continues, "One conscience should never trump all others." She writes that "we must find ways to negotiate conflicting consciences so that religious liberty is respected and health care is safeguarded" (Steenland, Washington Post's On Faith, 5/11).
~ "In Choosing Souter's Replacement, Obama Should Follow the Lead of ... George W. Bush?," Mitchell Bard, Huffington Post blogs: Bard writes that the "single most important thing" he learned in law school was that "U.S. Supreme Court justices are far more powerful in shaping American society than the average person realizes," adding that "the selection of a justice to the Court is one of the most important decisions a president will make during his time in office." He continues, "I have full confidence that President Obama understands the immense importance of selecting the right replacement for David Souter. My hope is that as he goes through the process, he uses as his guide" former President George W. Bush -- "the most unlikely of mentors" -- in three areas. Bard notes Obama should "influence the court for the next 20 years" as Bush did in selecting younger judges or "go Bush one better and appoint a justice in his or her early to middle 40s, giving the candidate the opportunity to shape American policy for 30 to 40 years." Obama also should put in place "progressives to balance out Bush's conservative picks," Bard says. Furthermore, "Obama needs to select someone with an unassailably qualified resume," as "a lack of qualification is the only lifeline to the Republicans in bringing the choice down." Bard concludes that if Obama follows Bush's lead when selecting a replacement for Souter -- "a young progressive with a traditionally impressive resume -- he will have done a good job in carrying out his responsibilities" (Bard, Huffington Post blogs, 5/11).
~ "Houston Pulls a Palin," Abigail Kramer, Salon's Broadsheet: Kramer criticizes the city of Houston's recent decision to bill a woman for forensic evidence collection at a local hospital after she was raped. "A big thank you to the criminal justice establishment of Houston for giving victims one more reason not to report rape," Kramer writes. According to Kramer, Texas has a Crime Victims' Compensation Fund that automatically pays up to $700 of the cost of an investigation of sexual assault, but state law requires that victims exhaust all other potential sources before the fund pays more. Kramer writes, "This isn't the first time we've seen such dangerous nonsense." She recalls when Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), who at the time was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, allowed the city to charge victims for their own rape test kits, as well as other examples. Kramer concludes that it is difficult to know how common this practice is in other states because there is no federal law regulating who pays for what, which "would be treating rape like any other prosecutable, punishable violent crime" (Kramer, Salon's Broadsheet, 5/11).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
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