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- Usage of “morning after” pill has doubled, study shows
- Catholic bishops oppose California bill supporting liquefaction as alternative to cremation
- Christian churches minister to tornado ravaged Southern states
| Usage of “morning after” pill has doubled, study shows Posted: 01 May 2011 12:48 PM PDT
A new study shows that the use of the abortificient known as the “morning after” pill has doubled in usage since it became available over the counter. The study, which was published in the Fertility and Sterility journal, revealed that out of 6,300 sexually active women in the U.S. who were surveyed from 2006 to 2008, (aged 15 to 44) some 10 percent admitted having used the pill, Reuters said. This is more than double the four percent rate of sexually active women who responded to the survey when it was taken in 2002, when the pill could only be available with the use of a prescription, according to Reuters. Megan L. Kavanaugh, senior researcher at Guttmacher Institute, New York, told Reuters, “It has more than doubled since the last time the data were collected.” However, she said, “Its use still seems relatively low, given that it’s easy to access.” Kavanaugh blamed the increase largely on media exposure, noting that in both surveys, it was shown that doctors did not discuss Plan B with patients when they spoke of contraception, Reuters reported. The pill is now available in pharmacies and online. A popular morning after pill brand in the U.S. is Plan B, which should be taken up to 72 hours after intercourse. Another pill is Next Step. In the UK and Europe Plan B goes by the name ellaOne, Atlanta Drugs said. Plan B has been on the U.S. market since 1999 as a prescription medication. In 2006 it became available on the market without a prescription and age restriction went down to 17 years in 2009, Reuters reported. Plan B contains progestin, a hormone that inhibits the release of a woman’s egg from the ovaries, according to Reuters. The medication also inhibits implantation of a fertilized egg by thinning the uterus lining, Care2com said. Plan B is ideally taken within 12 hours of having intercourse, after which the possibility of pregnancy is boosted by 50 percent, Reuters said. Lifesitenews takes issue with the fact that Plan B also can act as an abortifacient because it prevents a fertilized ovum from implanting in a woman’s uterus. Marie Hahnenberg, director of American Life League’s The Pill Kills project said, “Plan B One-Step works like any other abortifacient drug. It can alter the lining (endometrium) of the mother’s uterus so that the newly-formed baby cannot implant and thus dies,” according to Lifesitenews. Hahnenberg referred to the product’s own information saying, “Plan B One-Step’s product information itself states, ‘it may inhibit implantation.’ Women should not allow themselves to be misled by sales representatives for Plan B and Plan B One-Step, who claim that these products will not terminate an existing pregnancy,” Lifesitenews reported. Others have noted that making an abortifacient like Plan B available can encourage young people to have sex thinking they are safe with this pill. However, there is still the danger of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease, Atlantic Drugs said. Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America told LifeSiteNews that making abortifacients available does not serve the best interest of children. “There’s a good reason why even the birth control pill requires a prescription, which is an even lower dose of the drug. . . . It offers an opportunity for the woman to get a check up, for the doctor to talk to her and check her for sexually transmitted diseases and find out if she is being abused.” Wright also noted that a number of women use Plan B to substitute for normal methods of birth control, despite the fact that there is insufficient information about the consequences of regular use, LifeSiteNews said. Wright told LifeSiteNews, “They haven’t done the tests. They’re not going to do the tests because they don’t want to find out. That’s why it is incredibly irresponsible for the FDA to continue approving these kinds of drugs.” |
| Catholic bishops oppose California bill supporting liquefaction as alternative to cremation Posted: 01 May 2011 12:48 PM PDT
Lawmakers in California are supporting a bill that will legalize an allegedly more eco-friendly alternative to cremation, but some Catholic bishops oppose it. California lawmakers are supporting alkaline hydrolysis, a liquefaction procedure, as an alternative to cremation. This involves placing the corpse in a steel tube, which some sellers of the process have called a “coffin spa,” according to Daily Camera. Once the body is in the steel tube, a mixture of acid and water will be poured over it. The fluid will then be heated up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, converting the corpse to a brown liquid within six to eight hours, with just a small pile of bones left behind, Daily Camera said. Popular Science magazine, however, described the procedure as a “method [that] uses a steel cylinder that dissolves the body in lye with 300-degree heat and 60 pounds of pressure per square inch. The result is a sterile, coffee-colored liquid with the consistency of motor oil that can be safely poured down the drain. A small amount of the bone residue that can be scattered like cementation ashes is the only solid byproduct,” Catholic California Daily reported. The bill supporting this is being sponsored by California Assemblyman Jeff Miller, who is touting liquefaction through alkaline hydrolysis as a more ecologically sound alternative compared to burial and cremation, AOL News said. A statement from Miller’s office said, “Alkaline hydrolysis, also referred to as resomation, water resolution and bio-cremation, is a ‘green,’ eco-friendly alternative to traditional cremation by incineration. It … accelerates the natural decomposition process … [to] reduce human remains to a presentable, contaminant-free ash,” Catholic California Daily reported. Miller’s statement adds, “Unlike cremation by incineration, alkaline hydrolysis does not pollute the air, nor does it emit any greenhouse gas, and its CO2 emissions are twenty times less than its traditional alternative. Alkaline hydrolysis also neutralizes embalming fluids and toxins to protect soil and underground water from pollutants,” according to Catholic California Daily. Johannes Escudero, Miller’s legislative director told AOL News, “California is famous for going green, not only just as a way of life but as a way of taking care of loved ones in end of life.” If the law is passed, funeral homes and mortuaries in California will be able to legally use the procedure. Last year, liquefaction was legalized in Florida, but so far no business has been licensed to do the procedure, AOL News said. In Columbus, Ohio Edwards Funeral Service, sold “coffin spas” to clients for two months, until local state officials ordered a stop to it. Jeff Edwards, owner of the company, sued the state saying that customers were given a choice between cremation and the “coffin spas,” and they chose the latter, Daily Camera reported. Disposal of animals Alkaline hydrolysis has been used for many years, but only for disposal of animals and corpses that had been donated for lab research. It is only recently that the procedure is being considered as an alternative for cremation, Catholic California Daily said. A letter from the California Catholic Conference opposes the legislation for this and says, “It was not designed to dispose of dead human bodies. As Catholics we believe that the human body, once alive and animated by an immortal soul, possesses a moral dignity which must be honored.” The letter also questioned the quality of the bone residue after the process saying, “The bone residue… amounts to a chemical digestion and results in a radically different substance than cremated ashes, thereby creating a human and emotional distance from the remains rather than a reverence for them,” Catholic California Daily reported. Patrick McGee, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, N.H. said, “We believe this process, which enables a portion of human remains to be flushed down a drain, to be undignified,” AOL News reported. Escudero, however, noted that no greenhouse gases are released into the air with the process and suggested that one should not Escudero told AOL News, “The idea of dumping someone down the drain is a misnomer. It creates the idea that you are dumping Grandma down the drain, and that’s not the case at all. There is nothing more inhumane than burning a body, which is the case with cremation.” So far, alkaline hydrolysis is being used legally by the University of Southern California, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and the University of Florida. However, the process is only applied to dispose of corpses that were donated for scientific research, AOL News said. |
| Christian churches minister to tornado ravaged Southern states Posted: 01 May 2011 12:46 PM PDT
Christian churches are responding to the needs of people in southeastern states that were hit by what is considered to be the deadliest attack of multiple tornadoes in 40 years, leaving some 300 dead. The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Samaritan’s Purse, the Alabama Baptist Convention and the Red Cross are assessing the damage wrought by some 137 tornadoes that swept through Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia. Teams from the Alabama Baptist Convention along with the Red Cross have been removing debris and are expecting to serve up to 60,000 meals daily. Jerry Butler, director of the Southern Baptist Association’s Alabama Disaster Relief Organization told Christian Press, “We’ll be here for as long as they need us.” The BGRapid Response Team is working in collaboration with Samaritan’s Purse, both Christian relief organizations headed by Franklin Graham. They are addressing the emotional and spiritual needs of survivors in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham even as they are making damage reports and assessing needs, Christian Newswire said. Preston Parrish, executive vice president of BGEA told Christian Newswire, “The swath of devastation that has ripped through the South and brought so much death and destruction is stunning. The overwhelming sense of loss — for those who lost their homes, and especially for those who lost loved ones — will be nearly unbearable for many. We want those suffering to know that Christ cares for them, that we are praying for them, and we will be standing beside them.” Rising death toll The death toll is continually rising as search and rescue teams mine the rubble. Last Wednesday some 137 tornados ripped through ‘Dixie Alley,’ (the pathway of destruction along the states earlier reported), according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Okla., Christian Press said. A number of churches were also damaged, including the 202-year-old United Methodist Church in Alabama where only a single pew was seen standing, Christian Press said. Jake Fauble kept watch over the remains of Ford Chapel United Methodist Church in Harvest to keep looters out. He said there were no deaths as just before the storm passed through, a Mother’s Day Out day care program had ended and everybody left, Christian Press reported. Fauble said, “Right now I’m just up here keeping an eye on the place to keep the looters out. I just hope that everyone else got out of this okay. I’m sorry to see all the devastation around here and all the homes that are ruined, but-as with the church-it can be rebuilt,” according to Christian Press. North Carolina’s Samaritan’s Purse has sent crews to Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Cullman, Ala. It has also sent out Disaster Relief Units including emergency supplies and tools packed in a tractor-trailer for volunteers and staff, Christian Press said. Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse and BGEA told Christian Press, “When people lose everything to a tornado, flood or hurricane, it is overwhelming. Even in a country like ours, we can’t just depend on the government to come in and fix everything. As Christians, we are called to help our neighbors in distress.” Jack Monday, director of BGRapid Response Team told Christian Press, “We are going alongside Samaritan’s Purse and in doing so, together, we seem to meet the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of those directly affected.” |
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