tagged w/ Reproductive issues
-
As donated eggs run low for infertile couples in Israel, a push is on to widen the ranks of possible donors. But one of the country's oldest women's rights groups fears the possibility of financial exploitation and wants tighter oversight.
Ofra Balaban knows how important a gift of ova can be: She conceived her two sons with eggs donated more than a decade ago.
That was before allegations of ova theft in conjunction with a rising demand and donor restrictions contributed to a shortage of ova in Israel.
One scandal in particular, involving ovum extraction and medical dishonesty in 2000, has tainted the industry with the odor of exploitation and discouraged ova donors, who, by current law, can only be women who are undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment themselves.
Around 20,000 in vitro fertilization cycles are performed each year in Israel, a tiny country that is a world leader in fertility treatments and places a high value on having children for cultural, religious and demographic reasons. But only a fraction of women who go through IVF are willing or able to donate quality eggs to other women who want to conceive. It is estimated that some 3,000 women in Israel are waiting for egg donations.
"It began with the fact that there weren't enough," Balaban said. "But today, unfortunately, we have reached the situation where there are zero ova donations in Israel."
As donated eggs run low for infertile couples in Israel, a push is on to widen the... more
-
-
For the past week, some activists in the abortion rights community have been trying to figure out why Barack Obama, a Democrat praised for his strong defense of reproductive rights, appeared to be turning soft.
Those who work on the front lines of the abortion debate couldn’t quite believe what they were hearing: Obama, in an interview with a Christian magazine, seemed to reject a mental health exception to the ban on late-term abortions. They feared that Obama, like Democrat John Kerry in 2004, was adopting a view favored by abortion opponents to appeal to conservatives.
After days of examining his initial comments and a subsequent clarification that he supports a mental health exception — as long as the woman suffers a diagnosed illness and is not just “feeling blue” — some activists are satisfied, while others are far from it or just plain confused.
“That kind of statement really feeds into the wingnut argument that women have abortions because they are frivolous about that decision, because we are having a bad hair day,” Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, said in an interview Wednesday. “There seems to be an information gap there.”
The confusion comes at a politically sensitive juncture for Obama, as he attempts to build credibility and a comfort level with women voters and institutional advocacy groups, including some that supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. The timing exacerbated the concerns of these groups, some of which are still awaiting a personal meeting with the presumptive Democratic nominee: It followed a major push by Obama to court religious voters who hold positions at odds with these advocacy groups.
As he faces criticism from some on the left, Obama is also taking hits from the right over abortion. The Christian Defense Coalition began running print ads this week calling Obama “the abortion president.” And Republican John McCain, an opponent of abortion rights, took a dig at Obama during an Ohio town hall meeting on Wednesday, criticizing his vote against a ban on late-term abortion as an Illinois state senator.
The reaction to Obama’s statement revealed a divide in the abortion rights community, one that closely tracks the allegiances formed during the Democratic Party’s protracted primary election fight. While NOW and the Feminist Majority voiced concern over Obama's abortion remarks, two of the largest organizations dedicated to reproductive rights took a different tack and backed up Obama.
NARAL Pro-Choice America, which endorsed Obama in early May, issued a statement of support after Relevant magazine published the interview last week, saying he was a strong supporter of Roe v. Wade and his views were consistent with the landmark ruling establishing the right to an abortion. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which stayed neutral in the primary, announced its formal support of Obama on Tuesday.
Kate Michelman, a prominent women’s rights advocate who endorsed Obama in February, said Obama was not softening his long-standing support of Roe, but rather articulating his understanding that abortions in the second and third trimesters should be rare and necessitated by serious health issues.
“He was very deliberately speaking to those people who over the past 35 years have made the case that the exception to protect women’s health is a big loophole through which women can leap when they are feeling blue,” said Michelman, who headed NARAL for nearly 20 years until 2004. “Obama was making it clear that he doesn’t believe that is what women do and what the law allows.”
For the past week, some activists in the abortion rights community have been trying to... more
-
-
Despite deep-rooted cultural beliefs, studies find that having children really doesn't make you happy, or at least happier than people who don't have kids.
A study by Daniel Gilbert cites that 'marital satisfaction' sharply declines with the birth of the first-born child and only again inclines when the last child leaves the home. Gilbert even claims that parents are happier doing seemingly mundane tasks like grocery shopping or sleeping than actually spending time with their kids.
Robin Simon also conducted a comprehensive study of 13,000 Americans and came to the conclusion that no matter what type of parent (single, couple, divorced, step, etc.), they never reported better emotionally than people who had never had children at all. Simon says "Parents experience lower levels of emotional well-being, less frequent positive emotions and more frequent negative emotions than their childless peers,"
The cracking of this cultural myth may have to do with the increasingly complex lifestyle that comes with our current generation. High costs to raise kids, working outside of the home, lack of extended family support--all these factors can tie in to making parental life a chaotic and stressful one. Add to this the fact that most people are getting married later in life and are jumping from the highs of youthful freedom of going out and drinking and partying, to the abstemious-ness of rearing and caring for children.
What are your thoughts? Kids=Happiness? Or Kids=Hell? Despite deep-rooted cultural beliefs, studies find that having children really... more
-
-
I am asked if abortion was banned could it be regulated.
-
-
Babies whose mothers develop pre-eclampsia in pregnancy may be at greater risk of cardiovascular disease in later life, a study suggests.
Pre-eclampsia, a relatively common pregnancy complication, or problems with the placenta can reduce the amount of oxygen the fetus receives.
This appears to retard growth and damage the baby's cardiovascular, metabolic and endocrine systems.
The findings are to be presented at a Society for Endocrinology meeting.Babies whose mothers develop pre-eclampsia in pregnancy may be at greater risk of... more
-
-
Yes, that's right...
Get neutered, get a gun.
That is India's answer to its overpopulation problem...
Trade in your ability to bear kids for the right to bear arms...
Should this be followed by the rest of the world?Yes, that's right...
Get neutered, get a gun.
That is India's answer to... more
-
-
kozeki
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
-
Researchers can theoretically prevent the passing of mitochondrial disease in a child by extracting nuclear DNA from a mother with mitochondrial disease and a father, then injecting that DNA into a donor egg from a woman without mitochondrial disease.
The resulting embryo, in effect, had three parents but was disease-free. It inherited all the physical characteristics from Mom and Dad but received its healthy mitochondrial DNA from the woman providing the "donor egg."
Altering eggs is not a new idea but the groundbreaking development is the technique to actually prevent genetic disease. Researchers say the next step is to let these "three parent embryos" grow beyond a few days, to see if they can actually become healthy babies. Researchers can theoretically prevent the passing of mitochondrial disease in a child... more
-
-
jubal
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
-
This impassioned speech by Canadian abortion doctor Garson Romalis is an interesting take on the legalities, social consequences and circumstances surrounding the abortion issue.This impassioned speech by Canadian abortion doctor Garson Romalis is an interesting... more
-
-
I just ate today at PF Changs in Santa Monica, Ca.today. I first heard about this restaurant in my home town of Eugene, Oregon. I have eaten at this restaurant a total of 6 times and I must say that I have really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. The service is excellent and the staff is very friendly.
However, until today I have never before noticed this sign that I saw at the Santa Monica location that absolute made my jaw drop to the floor. I am terribly disappointed by what I have learned because I really loved the flavors in the food.
The sign just above the door had the following statement:
"Warning, this restaurant sells food and drinks that contain chemicals known by the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, and reproductive harm."
Does anybody know what chemicals these might be?
This is very alarming considering all the tainted food that has been coming out of China into America.
Thank you California for having Proposition 65.
Consider yourselves warned!!!I just ate today at PF Changs in Santa Monica, Ca.today. I first heard about this... more
-
-
jubal
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
-
To see whether estrus (heat cycle) was really lost during human evolution (as researchers often claim), researchers in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico examined ovulatory cycle effects on tip earnings by professional lap dancers working in gentlemen's clubs.
The researchers used ads and flyers to sign up 18 lap dancers from local clubs. Each woman was asked to log on to a Web site and report her work hours, tips, and when she was menstruating. Lap dancers generally work 5-hour shifts with 18 or so 3-minute performances per shift. They average about $14 per "dance"--all of which is called a "tip" because it is illegal to pay for sex in New Mexico.
Normally cycling participants earned about US$335 per 5-h shift during estrus, US$260 per shift during the luteal phase, and US$185 per shift during menstruation. By contrast, participants using contraceptive pills showed no estrous earnings peak. To see whether estrus (heat cycle) was really lost during human evolution (as... more
-
-
Manishkumar M. Patel decided he didn't want to have a child with his mistress - who already has a child by him - so he slipped the abortion pill RU-486 into a smoothie he gave her. He is being charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide of an unborn child and eight other charges. I don't condone his deceitful and despicable act in anyway, but i find it very interesting that he can be charged with intentional homicide of an unborn child, but abortion is legal.
If he wanted the baby, but his mistress didn't, and she willingly took RU-486 he would have no legal recourse for her intentional homicide of his unborn child. The case of Manishkumar M. Patel has a lot of aggravating factors, like the fact that his mistress - a family physician - bought the house he and his wife live in and purchased him cars , eventhough he has a net worth around $400,000. His is a case of control, deceit, and maintaining a comfortable lifestyle. That being said, what are the reproductive rights of men? Are there any, and if not should there be?Manishkumar M. Patel decided he didn't want to have a child with his mistress -... more
-
-
I've always been a big supporter of the DIY lifestyle myself.
-
-
khsing
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
-
Wow, I hadn't even heard anything about this!
-
-
Of course, Bush promises to veto.
-
-
NYT: If Seinfeld were still on the air, Elaine would be overjoyed: her favorite Today Sponge contraceptive is again on sale and is the focus of a new marketing campaign by its new owner, Synova Healthcare Group.NYT: If Seinfeld were still on the air, Elaine would be overjoyed: her favorite... more
-
-
khsing
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
