UK doctors are revealing shocking stories of starvation as a method of “end of life” care for infants. It is policy, it seems, for National Health Service doctors to withdraw feeding tubes and fluids from children, as well as terminally ill and elderly patients, deemed to be suitable for an end of life regime called the “Liverpool Care Pathway” (the LCP). From the Daily Mail,

One doctor has admitted starving and dehydrating ten babies to death in the neonatal unit of one hospital alone.

Writing in a leading medical journal, the physician revealed the process can take an average of ten days during which a  baby becomes ‘smaller and shrunken’.

The LCP – on which 130,000 elderly and terminally-ill adult patients die each year – is now the subject of an independent inquiry ordered by ministers. […]

The use of end of life care methods on disabled newborn babies was revealed in the doctors’ bible, the British Medical Journal. 

Earlier this month, an un-named doctor wrote of the agony of watching the protracted deaths of babies. The doctor described one case of a baby born with ‘a lengthy list of unexpected congenital anomalies’, whose parents agreed to put it on the pathway.

A recent article from the London Evening Standard reports that,

Between 6% and 10% of women suffer from tocophobia – an intense anxiety or fear of pregnancy or giving birth […]

…some women who suffer from the condition avoid childbirth altogether and use multiple forms of contraception simultaneously – even if they are desperate to have children.

Other women can overcome the avoidance of pregnancy, spurred on by their desire to become a mother, but they often spend the whole nine months of pregnancy living in fear.

This could result in the women deciding to have an abortion or to seek an elective C section, she said.

Connections have been drawn to tocophobia and eating disorders, as both seem to stem from a desire to “have control” over one’s natural bodily functions and shape. Both conditions, I think, can be traced back to how our society has begun to view childbirth and the female body. I see a connection between the rise of tocophobia and an increase in the desire to have “control” over our biological female functions by way of medical intervention. As I’m starting to show during my own pregnancy, I would certainly say that 1 out of every 10 people (both men and women) I’ve casually spoken to about my pregnancy have told me that they are “uncomfortable” with pregnant bodies to some degree. This ranges from general unease to, in some cases, disgust.

In 2010 a 23 year old student told ABC News,

“The more I learned about childbirth, the more afraid of it I’ve actually become,” DuVall, a college theater major, told ABCNews.com. “I’m afraid of my body being ruined. I’m afraid of having an aneurysm and dying. I’m even afraid that when I get married, my husband won’t be attracted to me anymore after giving birth. I’m afraid that I just won’t be me anymore.”

How women define themselves has altered so drastically from what our bodies in fact are, that perhaps an identity crisis wrapped up in our appearance versus our biology is to blame. In any case, tocophobia is a serious disorder that ought to be addressed and recognized as the result of a serious problem in how women are being educated about childbirth and how we, both men and women, view the female body.

I think the Two and a Half Men star is right, his show is indeed bad, filth, even. Somewhat refreshing to hear him say this, but it’s lacking in impact because he still works for the show. A little bit of a resignation might be in order. But still nice to hear someone call it like it is: I watched that show for a certain amount of time, and at some point I realized the writing isn’t good, the content isn’t good, it’s not terribly funny…and that’s when I stopped. I like the idea of being critical consumers.

There’s a free web cast on this topic tonight. Click here for more info.

Join us for a national webcast on Tuesday, November 27th at 9:00PM ESTto hear Dr. Marguerite Duane discuss all the options available to physicians when counseling patients on family planning options.

As medical students you will one day be asked to prescribe birth control pills. Do you have all of your options? Do you know there are alternatives?

Fertility is a normal, healthy physiologic state.  Women’s hormonal cycles determine the fertile window when a couple will most likely conceive.  An understanding of the cycle and recognition of the external signs that determine each phase has led to the development of more environmentally friendly and highly effective forms of family planning.  Despite these advances, there is limited information about fertility awareness based methods (FABMs) being taught in medical school and residency and the majority of health professionals are trained to approach fertility as a disease state.

By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to describe the scientific basis for different types of FABMs and discuss the evidence supporting the effectiveness of these methods to both avoid and achieve pregnancy.  Participants will also be able to list the basic characteristics of the different methods to determine the appropriate population for use.  Finally, we will briefly introduce the participants to FACTS – the Fertility Appreciation Collaborative to Teach the Systems – a dedicated group of physicians and other health professionals committed to teaching our colleagues about fertility awareness based methods of family planning.

From We Need A Law:

Surrey, BC – In the latest example of censorship and bullying, the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) has rejected an application from a group of students to form a pro-life club on campus.

A statement released this morning by National Campus Life Network, an organization which supports pro-life clubs across the country, said the students who placed the application had retained legal counsel in their fight to have this rejection overturned. “They are in violation of their own policies,” stated Anastasia Pearse, the Western Campus Coordinator for National Campus Life Network. “Their own policy states that the association can’t censor or interfere with a club, even if it disagrees with its beliefs. Free speech and debate, even on controversial issues, should not be stifled at a university simply because those in positions of authority are pro-choice.”

“In the past, post-secondary institutions welcomed open debate as young Canadians sought to find their place in the fabric of this country”, said WeNeedaLAW.ca director Mike Schouten when he learned of the rejected application. “Today they are among the most intellectually sterile environments.”

“Rather than pose impediments to open dialogue, I encourage the KSA to remove barriers and restore openness by promoting intellectual liberty on their campus”, said Schouten.

“Post-secondary students today are growing up in a world that is making a conscious effort to correct the bullying tactics which were seen as normal in past decades. Here we have a clear case where the KSA is using its authority to bully pro-life students by ensuring they aren’t able to express their viewpoints in a similar manner as other groups. It is the height of hypocrisy for them to take this course of action,” Schouten went on to say.

“The KSA’s rejection of the application and defensive attitude of their so-called ‘intellectual turf’ is nothing short of unfair discrimination and they should rescind their decision immediately”, Schouten concluded.

A propos of nothing, I laughed quite hard at this one. A 55-page photo spread? Wow. Just wow.

BEIJING — The online version of China’s Communist Party newspaper has hailed a report by The Onion naming North Korean dictator Kim Jong -un as the “Sexiest Man Alive” – not realizing it is satire.

The People’s Daily on Tuesday ran a 55-page photo spread on its website in a tribute to the round-faced leader, under the headline “North Korea’s top leader named The Onion’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2012.” Quoting the Onion’s spoof report, the Chinese newspaper wrote: “”With his devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong, sturdy frame, this Pyongyang-bred heartthrob is every woman’s dream come true.”

“Blessed with an air of power that masks an unmistakable cute, cuddly side, Kim made this newspaper’s editorial board swoon with his impeccable fashion sense, chic short hairstyle, and, of course, that famous smile,” the People’s Daily cited the Onion as saying.

Remember the editorial telling pro-lifers to shut up? Margaret Somerville responds:

Your editorial, “The abortion debate is over, so shut up” is very bluntly expressed pro-choice wishful thinking on your part. This debate is not going away. It’s gaining strength.

The editorial does, however, accurately reflect a belief of many Canadians that there seems to be no way for us to reach any consensus on the law that should govern abortion, as recent votes in Parliament have consistently demonstrated. I don’t agree, but note I’ve qualified the word consensus with the adjective “any”.

I believe a majority of Canadians can find some “common ground” regarding legal regulation of abortion, but this must be distinguished from finding unanimous agreement – that’s impossible.

For many of us, whether we are pro-choice or pro-life, this common ground will not be a “perfect” stance. That’s unavoidable because we live in a pluralistic society where people have vastly divergent worldviews; we don’t all share the same convictions about the intrinsic dignity and value of all human beings, from their conception to their natural death; and we disagree whether the value of respect for life or that of individual autonomy should take priority when they conflict.

From my friend Stephanie Gray, in the National Post:

Do the tragic deaths in Ireland of Savita Halappanavar and her pre-born daughter Prasa  really make a case for legal abortion? Many across the world are coming to that conclusion but overlooking an important piece of information recently reported in The Irish Times and The Guardian: an autopsy revealed that Halappanavar died of septicaemia “documented ante-mortem” and E.coli ESBL.

I just stumbled across this blog. The poster below is a little bit crass, but conveys the point we are all trying to make: You aren’t some big and noble defender of women’s rights when you are pro-choice. I just had a man write me and say being pro-woman and pro-life is an oxymoron. I engaged the issue with him a tiny bit. Where the discussion has been left for right now is with him saying he supports a woman’s right to kill her child with or without medical reason. Incidentally, the euphemism he used was “terminate a pregnancy.” I think I may further make a George Jonas point to him which is simply this: You can be pro-choice, but please, you should very much understand what it is you are advocating for and “terminating a pregnancy” masks what it is a woman is doing in abortion. Masking that reality helps no one and is certainly not “pro-woman.”

You will never hear this in the mainstream media. Why?

The CDC report documents the death of twelve women following their abortion,” said Dr. Yoest. “That number is double the deaths reported the previous year and it’s the highest since 1994.”

(h/t)