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| News Capsules - May-June issue - Page 1 |
Doctor Discovers
Fetuses Can Feel Pain
When Kanwaljeet Anand was a
medical resident at a neonatal
intensive care unit in a hospital in
Oxford, England 25 years ago, he
was bothered by the appearance
of babies returning from the
operating room—gray skin,
shallow breathing, weak pulses.
He discover the babies were not
being given anesthesia by the
surgeons who thought the
newborns’ nervous systems were
too immature to sense pain.
However, even preterm infants
grimace when pricked by a
needle, Anand says. His work is
being cited by pro-life groups who
say fetal pain is another reason
for opposing abortion. Today,
adequate pain relief is given to
even the youngest infants.—www.
nytimes.com (2/10/08)
FDA Warns About
Ortho Evra Patch
The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration issued a new
warning in January that use of the
birth control patch, Ortho Evra,
carries a higher risk of serious
blood clots for women who use it
than for women using birth control
pills. The government agency
cites the results of a new
epidemiological study showing an
increased danger of blood clotting
that could potentially lead to a
lung embolism. As a result, the
agency said it has approved
changes to the labeling for the
Ortho Evra patch, to better warn
women and their doctors of the
potential risk.—FDA Press
Release (1/18/08)—reported in
Clearly Caring (March-April, 2008)
Fetuses Can Feel Pain
When Kanwaljeet Anand was a
medical resident at a neonatal
intensive care unit in a hospital in
Oxford, England 25 years ago, he
was bothered by the appearance
of babies returning from the
operating room—gray skin,
shallow breathing, weak pulses.
He discover the babies were not
being given anesthesia by the
surgeons who thought the
newborns’ nervous systems were
too immature to sense pain.
However, even preterm infants
grimace when pricked by a
needle, Anand says. His work is
being cited by pro-life groups who
say fetal pain is another reason
for opposing abortion. Today,
adequate pain relief is given to
even the youngest infants.—www.
nytimes.com (2/10/08)
FDA Warns About
Ortho Evra Patch
The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration issued a new
warning in January that use of the
birth control patch, Ortho Evra,
carries a higher risk of serious
blood clots for women who use it
than for women using birth control
pills. The government agency
cites the results of a new
epidemiological study showing an
increased danger of blood clotting
that could potentially lead to a
lung embolism. As a result, the
agency said it has approved
changes to the labeling for the
Ortho Evra patch, to better warn
women and their doctors of the
potential risk.—FDA Press
Release (1/18/08)—reported in
Clearly Caring (March-April, 2008)
Abortion Leads to Stress
Women who have experienced
abortion have high levels of post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
according to the journal BMC
Psychiatry. A study of 155 women
in South Africa looked at
symptoms both before and after
they aborted a child. One-fifth of
the women were found to have
high rates of PTSD after abortions
with the rates rising 61% over the
next three months. A study in
2004 found 65% of American
women reporting symptoms of
PTSD which they attributed to
their abortions.—LifeSiteNews
(2/14/08)
Pharmacist Sanctioned
A state appeals court in
Wisconsin has upheld sanctions
against a pharmacist in
Menomonie, Wisconsin who for
religious reasons refused to sell
birth control pills to a college
student and also wouldn’t transfer
her prescription elsewhere. The
woman was able to get the pills
two days later but missed the first
dose of the prescription. She then
filed a complaint with the state
Department of Regulation and
Licensing. Neil Noesen, the
pharmacist, is a devout Roman
Catholic—(Racine) Journal Times
(3/26/08)
Muslims Pass Catholics
There are now more Muslims in
the world than there are Roman
Catholics, the Vatican newspaper
says. As of 2006, the Catholic
percentage of 17.4% of the world’
s population is stable while the
Muslim percentage of 19.2% is
rising because Muslims tend to
have large families. However,
when counting all Christians, the
percentage rises to 33%.—www.
usa today.com (3/30/08)
Women who have experienced
abortion have high levels of post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
according to the journal BMC
Psychiatry. A study of 155 women
in South Africa looked at
symptoms both before and after
they aborted a child. One-fifth of
the women were found to have
high rates of PTSD after abortions
with the rates rising 61% over the
next three months. A study in
2004 found 65% of American
women reporting symptoms of
PTSD which they attributed to
their abortions.—LifeSiteNews
(2/14/08)
Pharmacist Sanctioned
A state appeals court in
Wisconsin has upheld sanctions
against a pharmacist in
Menomonie, Wisconsin who for
religious reasons refused to sell
birth control pills to a college
student and also wouldn’t transfer
her prescription elsewhere. The
woman was able to get the pills
two days later but missed the first
dose of the prescription. She then
filed a complaint with the state
Department of Regulation and
Licensing. Neil Noesen, the
pharmacist, is a devout Roman
Catholic—(Racine) Journal Times
(3/26/08)
Muslims Pass Catholics
There are now more Muslims in
the world than there are Roman
Catholics, the Vatican newspaper
says. As of 2006, the Catholic
percentage of 17.4% of the world’
s population is stable while the
Muslim percentage of 19.2% is
rising because Muslims tend to
have large families. However,
when counting all Christians, the
percentage rises to 33%.—www.
usa today.com (3/30/08)
Firstborn Kids Do Better
New research has confirmed that
firstborn children generally get
more attention from their parents
than do their siblings. A study
involving more than 15,000
children showed firstborns spent
more quality time with parents on
such activities as homework,
meals, reading, playtime, sports,
arts, religion and conversation.
This discovery may explain the
reason why oldest children on
average get better test scores,
more education, and higher-
paying jobs.—(Racine) Journal
Times (3/23/08)
Happy Marriages Mean Less
Stress
A happy marriage can be good for
your blood pressure, but a
stressful one may be worse than
remaining single, says an
assistant psychology professor at
Brigham Young U. The study
involving 204 married and 99
single adults who recorded their
blood pressure at random times
over 24 hours. The married
participants also filled out
questionnaires about their
marriages. Spouses who reported
low marital satisfaction averaged
blood pressures five points higher
than single adults.—news.yahoo.
com (3/20/08)
It’s Better to Give
According to the Bible, it is better
to give than to receive. Science
now agrees. People who made
gifts to others and to charities
reported they were happier than
those who didn’t share. Although
previous studies showed that
having more money can increase
happiness, how people spend
their money is a more important
factor.—(Racine) Journal Times
(3/21/08)
New research has confirmed that
firstborn children generally get
more attention from their parents
than do their siblings. A study
involving more than 15,000
children showed firstborns spent
more quality time with parents on
such activities as homework,
meals, reading, playtime, sports,
arts, religion and conversation.
This discovery may explain the
reason why oldest children on
average get better test scores,
more education, and higher-
paying jobs.—(Racine) Journal
Times (3/23/08)
Happy Marriages Mean Less
Stress
A happy marriage can be good for
your blood pressure, but a
stressful one may be worse than
remaining single, says an
assistant psychology professor at
Brigham Young U. The study
involving 204 married and 99
single adults who recorded their
blood pressure at random times
over 24 hours. The married
participants also filled out
questionnaires about their
marriages. Spouses who reported
low marital satisfaction averaged
blood pressures five points higher
than single adults.—news.yahoo.
com (3/20/08)
It’s Better to Give
According to the Bible, it is better
to give than to receive. Science
now agrees. People who made
gifts to others and to charities
reported they were happier than
those who didn’t share. Although
previous studies showed that
having more money can increase
happiness, how people spend
their money is a more important
factor.—(Racine) Journal Times
(3/21/08)
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