J Child Psychol & Psychiat
This interview-based study compares the opposite-sex relationships of 50 girls, aged 15–16, identified as being at risk for difficulties in early adult partnerships, with 50 girls of the same age from an inner-city school. The high-risk girls had begun solo-dating earlier than the school girls, were more likely to have had a sexual relationship, to have had more sexual partners, to have been pregnant, and to have had a child. A third of the girls in both groups were solo-dating at the time of the interview. In contrast to the school girls, the high-risk girls attached a prominence and permanence to their current dating relationships, which already bore the hallmarks of later unsupportive partnerships."
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Family and School Influences on Behavioural Development
J Child Psychol & Psychiat
Michael Rutter
Abstract—Research findings are reviewed with respect to possible family and school influences on behavioural development, but with special reference to socially disapproved conduct. The hypothesis that statistical associations between environmental variables and children's disorders represent causal connections is considered in terms of the three main alternatives—hereditary influences, the effect of children on their parents, and the operation of some third variable. It is concluded that each has some validity but that nevertheless there are true environmental effects. The mechanisms underlying their operation are discussed with respect to parental criminality, family discord, weak family relationships, ineffective discipline, and peer group influences. Individual differences in response to adversity are discussed in terms of age, sex, temperament, genetic factors, coping processes, patterning of stressors, compensatory good experiences and catalytic factors. The various ways in which environmental effects may persist over time are considered in terms of linkages within the environment as well as within the child. It is concluded that long-term effects are far from independent from intervening circumstances."
Michael Rutter
Abstract—Research findings are reviewed with respect to possible family and school influences on behavioural development, but with special reference to socially disapproved conduct. The hypothesis that statistical associations between environmental variables and children's disorders represent causal connections is considered in terms of the three main alternatives—hereditary influences, the effect of children on their parents, and the operation of some third variable. It is concluded that each has some validity but that nevertheless there are true environmental effects. The mechanisms underlying their operation are discussed with respect to parental criminality, family discord, weak family relationships, ineffective discipline, and peer group influences. Individual differences in response to adversity are discussed in terms of age, sex, temperament, genetic factors, coping processes, patterning of stressors, compensatory good experiences and catalytic factors. The various ways in which environmental effects may persist over time are considered in terms of linkages within the environment as well as within the child. It is concluded that long-term effects are far from independent from intervening circumstances."
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Opinion: Common ground on abortion
The Seattle Times: Opinion
E.J. Dionne
"If both parties combine wisdom with shrewdness, the election of a new congressional majority should open the way for a better approach to the abortion question.
The bitter political brawling of the past three decades has created an unproductive stalemate that leaves abortion opponents frustrated, abortion-rights supporters in a constant state of worry, and the many Americans who hold middle-ground positions on abortion feeling there is no one who speaks for them.
But the politics of abortion began to change even before this month's elections. In September, a group of 23 pro-choice and pro-life Democratic House members introduced what they called the 'Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act.'
OK, it's not the catchiest title, but you get the point. The bill — its sponsor is Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, an abortion opponent, with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., an abortion-rights supporter, as a leading co-sponsor — took a lot of negotiation. Supporters of abortion rights tend to favor programs that encourage effective contraception, which some in the right-to-life movement oppose. Opponents of abortion emphasize helping women who want to carry their children to term.
The Ryan bill, one of several congressional initiatives to reduce the abortion rate, does both. It includes a remarkably broad set of programs aimed at reducing teen pregnancy, promoting contraception and encouraging parental responsibility. But it also includes strong measures to offer new mothers full access to health coverage, child care and nutrition assistance.
The public debate usually ignores the fact that abortion rates are closely tied to income. As the Guttmacher Institute has reported, "the abortion rate among women living below the federal poverty level ... is more than four times that of women above 300 percent of the poverty level." The numbers are stark: 44 abortions per 1,000 women in the lower-income group, 10 abortions per 1,000 women in the higher-income group.
In other words: If you truly care about reducing the number of abortions, you have to care about the well-being of poor women.
There are moral and practical reasons for members of both parties, and combatants on both sides of the abortion question, to embrace this approach.
Liberal supporters of abortion rights should be eager to promote a measure that does not make abortion illegal, but does embrace goals, including help for the poor, that liberals have long advocated.
In the meantime, the victories opponents of abortion rights have won in fact do little to reduce the number of abortions. As Rachel Laser, director of the Third Way Culture Project, points out, even those who would ban late-term or partial-birth abortions need to acknowledge that very few are performed, meaning that these laws do little to reduce the overall abortion rate. According to one study cited by Laser, only 0.08 percent of abortions are performed in the third trimester.
...
E.J. Dionne
"If both parties combine wisdom with shrewdness, the election of a new congressional majority should open the way for a better approach to the abortion question.
The bitter political brawling of the past three decades has created an unproductive stalemate that leaves abortion opponents frustrated, abortion-rights supporters in a constant state of worry, and the many Americans who hold middle-ground positions on abortion feeling there is no one who speaks for them.
But the politics of abortion began to change even before this month's elections. In September, a group of 23 pro-choice and pro-life Democratic House members introduced what they called the 'Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act.'
OK, it's not the catchiest title, but you get the point. The bill — its sponsor is Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, an abortion opponent, with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., an abortion-rights supporter, as a leading co-sponsor — took a lot of negotiation. Supporters of abortion rights tend to favor programs that encourage effective contraception, which some in the right-to-life movement oppose. Opponents of abortion emphasize helping women who want to carry their children to term.
The Ryan bill, one of several congressional initiatives to reduce the abortion rate, does both. It includes a remarkably broad set of programs aimed at reducing teen pregnancy, promoting contraception and encouraging parental responsibility. But it also includes strong measures to offer new mothers full access to health coverage, child care and nutrition assistance.
The public debate usually ignores the fact that abortion rates are closely tied to income. As the Guttmacher Institute has reported, "the abortion rate among women living below the federal poverty level ... is more than four times that of women above 300 percent of the poverty level." The numbers are stark: 44 abortions per 1,000 women in the lower-income group, 10 abortions per 1,000 women in the higher-income group.
In other words: If you truly care about reducing the number of abortions, you have to care about the well-being of poor women.
There are moral and practical reasons for members of both parties, and combatants on both sides of the abortion question, to embrace this approach.
Liberal supporters of abortion rights should be eager to promote a measure that does not make abortion illegal, but does embrace goals, including help for the poor, that liberals have long advocated.
In the meantime, the victories opponents of abortion rights have won in fact do little to reduce the number of abortions. As Rachel Laser, director of the Third Way Culture Project, points out, even those who would ban late-term or partial-birth abortions need to acknowledge that very few are performed, meaning that these laws do little to reduce the overall abortion rate. According to one study cited by Laser, only 0.08 percent of abortions are performed in the third trimester.
...
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Class and family [Family Contribution to Class Reproduction]
Sociological Review
Rosemary Crompton
This paper seeks to make a contribution to debates on 'class analysis', as well as exploring the role of the family in class reproduction. A broad distinction is drawn between primarily 'economic' and primarily 'culturalist' accounts of class reproduction. It is argued that despite their differences, these accounts also share many similarities. In particular, both approaches identify the role of the family as central to the reproduction of class. However, economic and cultural accounts cannot be integrated into a single 'theory', one reason being that the mechanisms whereby economic and cultural capital are transmitted are different. Nevertheless, economic and cultural approaches may be (and should be) used in combination with each other in order to develop a full account of the reproduction of class inequalities. In developing these arguments, a critique is offered of current theories of 'individualisation' in relation to class and the family. The argument is illustrated by two 'worked examples'; teenage motherhood, and the patterning of mothers' employment."
Rosemary Crompton
This paper seeks to make a contribution to debates on 'class analysis', as well as exploring the role of the family in class reproduction. A broad distinction is drawn between primarily 'economic' and primarily 'culturalist' accounts of class reproduction. It is argued that despite their differences, these accounts also share many similarities. In particular, both approaches identify the role of the family as central to the reproduction of class. However, economic and cultural accounts cannot be integrated into a single 'theory', one reason being that the mechanisms whereby economic and cultural capital are transmitted are different. Nevertheless, economic and cultural approaches may be (and should be) used in combination with each other in order to develop a full account of the reproduction of class inequalities. In developing these arguments, a critique is offered of current theories of 'individualisation' in relation to class and the family. The argument is illustrated by two 'worked examples'; teenage motherhood, and the patterning of mothers' employment."
Preschool Pays Off
RAND | News &
Early childhood education produces better students, more productive adults
Sixty-two percent of children under the age of 6 in Pennsylvania need care while their parents or guardians work. Meeting this need presents an opportunity to enrich the lives of children and set them on a path toward productive adulthood. Research shows that investments in quality child care pay off.
In the near term, quality preschool can boost children's ability to learn and succeed in school. In the longer term, the benefits can translate into substantial savings for government, taxpayers and businesses.
Studies have shown what effective early childhood programs look like. They resemble schools more than day care. They have well-trained and educated providers, small group sizes and a developmentally appropriate curriculum.
Pennsylvania has begun to recognize the need for such early childhood care programs. State efforts like the $6 million investment in Keystone Stars are designed to improve child care quality. Pennsylvania legislators also are poised to pass standards for preschool programs that would require all teachers to have a bachelor's degree and a certificate in early childhood education.
These requirements have a solid basis in research. Studies have found that students with quality preschool experience are more likely to enter school prepared to learn and to possess basic skills. These students consistently outperform their peers who lack similar preparation. This divergence is especially sharp for students in the lowest income groups.
There are further benefits. Students who enter kindergarten from quality preschool programs are less likely to repeat grades, less likely to require remedial or special education and less likely to pose disciplinary problems. And the benefits persist. The same students are less likely to drop out of school and more likely to pursue advanced education.
...
Early childhood education produces better students, more productive adults
Sixty-two percent of children under the age of 6 in Pennsylvania need care while their parents or guardians work. Meeting this need presents an opportunity to enrich the lives of children and set them on a path toward productive adulthood. Research shows that investments in quality child care pay off.
In the near term, quality preschool can boost children's ability to learn and succeed in school. In the longer term, the benefits can translate into substantial savings for government, taxpayers and businesses.
Studies have shown what effective early childhood programs look like. They resemble schools more than day care. They have well-trained and educated providers, small group sizes and a developmentally appropriate curriculum.
Pennsylvania has begun to recognize the need for such early childhood care programs. State efforts like the $6 million investment in Keystone Stars are designed to improve child care quality. Pennsylvania legislators also are poised to pass standards for preschool programs that would require all teachers to have a bachelor's degree and a certificate in early childhood education.
These requirements have a solid basis in research. Studies have found that students with quality preschool experience are more likely to enter school prepared to learn and to possess basic skills. These students consistently outperform their peers who lack similar preparation. This divergence is especially sharp for students in the lowest income groups.
There are further benefits. Students who enter kindergarten from quality preschool programs are less likely to repeat grades, less likely to require remedial or special education and less likely to pose disciplinary problems. And the benefits persist. The same students are less likely to drop out of school and more likely to pursue advanced education.
...
Monday, August 21, 2006
Finding common ground on abortion
Community Press
by Rick Smith
"The Guttmacher Institute' s data indicates at least 25 percent of all abortions are due to male irresponsibility. Currently the woman bears nearly all the burden of an unintended pregnancy. The man' s responsibility doesn't begin until the baby is born. There need to be more immediate consequences for the man, no matter what the woman's choice. My plan would make the man immediately responsible for a woman's health care, through the birth or an abortion, if she did not intend to become pregnant. Further, the man would be charged with a minor misdemeanor, equivalent to a minor traffic violation, for 'causing an unintended pregnancy.' If he is adult, this offense would become public record (the woman's name would remain confidential)."
by Rick Smith
"The Guttmacher Institute' s data indicates at least 25 percent of all abortions are due to male irresponsibility. Currently the woman bears nearly all the burden of an unintended pregnancy. The man' s responsibility doesn't begin until the baby is born. There need to be more immediate consequences for the man, no matter what the woman's choice. My plan would make the man immediately responsible for a woman's health care, through the birth or an abortion, if she did not intend to become pregnant. Further, the man would be charged with a minor misdemeanor, equivalent to a minor traffic violation, for 'causing an unintended pregnancy.' If he is adult, this offense would become public record (the woman's name would remain confidential)."
Sunday, August 20, 2006
A little less confrontation, a little more action
U.S. Catholic Magazine
...
Beyond politics
A handful of Democrats are trying to do just that, advancing legislation that they say could reduce the abortion rate by 95 percent in 10 years.
The bill, developed and promoted by Democrats for Life (DFL) as the “95-10 Initiative,” has the support of prolife Democrats in Congress, and DFL leaders soon hope to have the support of more members from both sides of the aisle and of the abortion debate.
The initiative was born in the wake of the 2004 election, when everyone was talking about moral values.
“The election sent a really big message,” says Kristen Day, DFL executive director. “A majority of people think the abortion rate should be declining. But no one is doing anything to make abortion rare. They’ve only been working to keep it legal. So we looked at the reasons women have abortions.”
Their initiative, introduced last November, includes prohibiting the transport of a minor across a state line to obtain an abortion; fully funding the federal government’s Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children program; requiring insurance to cover contraception; providing grants to nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations for ultrasound equipment to provide free examinations to pregnant women; making adoption tax credits permanent; and initiating a five-year study by the National Institutes of Health on why women choose abortions.
Day acknowledges that reducing the number of abortions by 95 percent is ambitious, but she notes that in Michigan, where one point of the 95-10 initiative was put in place—a public awareness campaign informing women of abortion alternatives—abortion rates have already dropped. Though many factors affect abortion rates, including the economy, Day and other prolifers credit the public awareness campaign and use the Michigan statistic to justify a nationwide public awareness campaign.
Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, a group dedicated to spreading the prolife message among Catholic priests and parishes, gave some parts of the Democrats’ plan cautious approval.
“There are many proposals in this package, like women’s right-to-know provisions, funding for promotion of alternatives to abortion, strengthening of adoption practices, and more,” he wrote in a column last May. “These are key goals for all of us to pursue. The precise way in which these and other proposals in 95-10 should be written into law will, of course, need to be carefully debated and refined.
“And in the end, we cannot be content to reduce the numbers of abortions,” he wrote. “We have to acknowledge that laws permitting even a single abortion undermine the very fabric of our freedom and our republic.”
...
...
Beyond politics
A handful of Democrats are trying to do just that, advancing legislation that they say could reduce the abortion rate by 95 percent in 10 years.
The bill, developed and promoted by Democrats for Life (DFL) as the “95-10 Initiative,” has the support of prolife Democrats in Congress, and DFL leaders soon hope to have the support of more members from both sides of the aisle and of the abortion debate.
The initiative was born in the wake of the 2004 election, when everyone was talking about moral values.
“The election sent a really big message,” says Kristen Day, DFL executive director. “A majority of people think the abortion rate should be declining. But no one is doing anything to make abortion rare. They’ve only been working to keep it legal. So we looked at the reasons women have abortions.”
Their initiative, introduced last November, includes prohibiting the transport of a minor across a state line to obtain an abortion; fully funding the federal government’s Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children program; requiring insurance to cover contraception; providing grants to nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations for ultrasound equipment to provide free examinations to pregnant women; making adoption tax credits permanent; and initiating a five-year study by the National Institutes of Health on why women choose abortions.
Day acknowledges that reducing the number of abortions by 95 percent is ambitious, but she notes that in Michigan, where one point of the 95-10 initiative was put in place—a public awareness campaign informing women of abortion alternatives—abortion rates have already dropped. Though many factors affect abortion rates, including the economy, Day and other prolifers credit the public awareness campaign and use the Michigan statistic to justify a nationwide public awareness campaign.
Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, a group dedicated to spreading the prolife message among Catholic priests and parishes, gave some parts of the Democrats’ plan cautious approval.
“There are many proposals in this package, like women’s right-to-know provisions, funding for promotion of alternatives to abortion, strengthening of adoption practices, and more,” he wrote in a column last May. “These are key goals for all of us to pursue. The precise way in which these and other proposals in 95-10 should be written into law will, of course, need to be carefully debated and refined.
“And in the end, we cannot be content to reduce the numbers of abortions,” he wrote. “We have to acknowledge that laws permitting even a single abortion undermine the very fabric of our freedom and our republic.”
...
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Exposure to Degrading Versus Nondegrading Music Lyrics and Sexual Behavior Among Youth
RAND
The more time adolescents spend listening to music with sexually degrading lyrics, the more likely they are to initiate intercourse and other sexual activities. This holds true for boys and girls as well as for whites and nonwhites. Only sexually degrading lyrics are related to changes in adolescents' sexual behavior.
...
The more time adolescents spend listening to music with sexually degrading lyrics, the more likely they are to initiate intercourse and other sexual activities. This holds true for boys and girls as well as for whites and nonwhites. Only sexually degrading lyrics are related to changes in adolescents' sexual behavior.
...
China vow on sex-based abortion
BBC NEWS
"China will punish health workers who help to abort female foetuses, despite a recent decision not to criminalise the practice, an official said.
China's legislature scrapped a bill in June that would have introduced fines and prison terms for aborting girls.
But an official said that did not mean there was any relaxation in the policy against selective abortion.
The practice stems from a preference for sons, especially in rural areas, and China's one-child policy.
As a result, official figures suggest there are 119 boys born for every 100 girls in China, Xinhua news agency said, a figure much higher than the global ratio of 103 to 107 boys for 100 girls."
...
"China will punish health workers who help to abort female foetuses, despite a recent decision not to criminalise the practice, an official said.
China's legislature scrapped a bill in June that would have introduced fines and prison terms for aborting girls.
But an official said that did not mean there was any relaxation in the policy against selective abortion.
The practice stems from a preference for sons, especially in rural areas, and China's one-child policy.
As a result, official figures suggest there are 119 boys born for every 100 girls in China, Xinhua news agency said, a figure much higher than the global ratio of 103 to 107 boys for 100 girls."
...
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
"Planned Parenthood partnership [in adoption] a good match"
IndyStar.com
"That's why the decision by an abortion clinic to partner with an adoption agency in Indianapolis is potentially a good move.
Independent Adoption Centers will have a presence at a Planned Parenthood of Indiana clinic two or three times a week, starting in July.
The idea, said Planned Parenthood President and CEO Betty Cockrum, is 'to explore with every patient the full continuum of choices, (including) adoption services.'
All those services are included in the agency's referral manual for clients. Indiana, she adds, has 37 Planned Parenthood locations with 106,000 patients. 'Only 4.5 percent get abortions,' she said.
The local partnership is not part of a national Planned Parenthood agenda, but it apparently plays well in the Heartland. In fact, it was a Planned Parenthood in Muncie that initially promoted adoption at its offices 'decades ago,' said David Nova, CEO of the Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge in Virginia."
...
"That's why the decision by an abortion clinic to partner with an adoption agency in Indianapolis is potentially a good move.
Independent Adoption Centers will have a presence at a Planned Parenthood of Indiana clinic two or three times a week, starting in July.
The idea, said Planned Parenthood President and CEO Betty Cockrum, is 'to explore with every patient the full continuum of choices, (including) adoption services.'
All those services are included in the agency's referral manual for clients. Indiana, she adds, has 37 Planned Parenthood locations with 106,000 patients. 'Only 4.5 percent get abortions,' she said.
The local partnership is not part of a national Planned Parenthood agenda, but it apparently plays well in the Heartland. In fact, it was a Planned Parenthood in Muncie that initially promoted adoption at its offices 'decades ago,' said David Nova, CEO of the Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge in Virginia."
...
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Poverty and the Daily Lives of Infants - Consistent disadvantage
Journal of Children and Poverty
"It has been amply demonstrated that poor children suffer disadvantages as compared to their more advantaged peers. This paper examines important aspects of infants’ daily experiences in a southeastern city in the United States in order to illustrate differences between poor and non-poor infants. “Poor” infants were compared to their “non-poor” counterparts on the quality of parenting they received; quality of their home environments; relative health and safety; stability, structure, and predictability of their daily lives; and exposure to diverse experiences in the community. Findings reveal that poor infants are at a consistent disadvantage across all domains when compared to their more affluent counterparts. These daily deficiencies might be conceptualized as the mechanisms through which poverty exerts its negative effects. This paper shifts the focus from macro-level variables such as larger economic and social factors to the cumulative effect of deficiencies at the micro-level. Intervening to ameliorate the micro-level deficits that are most modifiable may lessen the cumulative risk and provide some small avenues toward resilience for the most disadvantaged and at-risk infants."
Friday, June 23, 2006
The Labor Market Consequences of Childhood Maladjustment
Social Science Q
The Labor Market Consequences of Childhood Maladjustment
Paul Fronstin, David H. Greenberg, and Philip K. Robins
Objective. This article uses data from the National Child Development Survey on a cohort of individuals born in Great Britain during the first week of March 1958 to investigate whether educational attainment and labor force behavior 33 years later are affected by childhood behavioral problems that are exhibited at both age 7 and age 16.
Method. Regression methods are used to test hypotheses concerning these effects.
Results. Our results indicate that maladjusted children suffer economically when they reach adulthood. Maladjusted children perform worse on aptitude tests and have lower educational attainment. Maladjusted children also are less likely to be employed at age 33 and to have lower wages when employed. Part of the reduced employment and wages is the result of lower education, but part is also due to other factors.
Conclusion. Future research should investigate whether adult labor market outcomes vary with the type of behavioral problems exhibited at younger ages.
The Labor Market Consequences of Childhood Maladjustment
Paul Fronstin, David H. Greenberg, and Philip K. Robins
Objective. This article uses data from the National Child Development Survey on a cohort of individuals born in Great Britain during the first week of March 1958 to investigate whether educational attainment and labor force behavior 33 years later are affected by childhood behavioral problems that are exhibited at both age 7 and age 16.
Method. Regression methods are used to test hypotheses concerning these effects.
Results. Our results indicate that maladjusted children suffer economically when they reach adulthood. Maladjusted children perform worse on aptitude tests and have lower educational attainment. Maladjusted children also are less likely to be employed at age 33 and to have lower wages when employed. Part of the reduced employment and wages is the result of lower education, but part is also due to other factors.
Conclusion. Future research should investigate whether adult labor market outcomes vary with the type of behavioral problems exhibited at younger ages.
Proven Benefits of Early Childhood Interventions
RAND
"There is increasing recognition that the first few years of a child’s life are a particularly sensitive period in the process of development, laying a foundation in childhood and beyond for cognitive functioning; behavioral, social, and self-regulatory capacities; and physical health. Yet many children face various stressors during these years that can impair their healthy development. Early childhood intervention programs are designed to mitigate the factors that place children at risk of poor outcomes. Such programs provide supports for the parents, the children, or the family as a whole. These supports may be in the form of learning activities or other structured experiences that affect a child directly or that have indirect effects through training parents or otherwise enhancing the caregiving environment"
..
"There is increasing recognition that the first few years of a child’s life are a particularly sensitive period in the process of development, laying a foundation in childhood and beyond for cognitive functioning; behavioral, social, and self-regulatory capacities; and physical health. Yet many children face various stressors during these years that can impair their healthy development. Early childhood intervention programs are designed to mitigate the factors that place children at risk of poor outcomes. Such programs provide supports for the parents, the children, or the family as a whole. These supports may be in the form of learning activities or other structured experiences that affect a child directly or that have indirect effects through training parents or otherwise enhancing the caregiving environment"
..
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
New software to keep an eye on foeticide [India]
The Times of India
"Conducting sex selection abortions in India will soon become a lot more difficult. The Union health ministry has developed a special data entry and report-generating software, which when installed in the computers of all the 28,565 registered ultrasound clinics in the country, will make it mandatory for them to fill up their Form F online. ...
"Conducting sex selection abortions in India will soon become a lot more difficult. The Union health ministry has developed a special data entry and report-generating software, which when installed in the computers of all the 28,565 registered ultrasound clinics in the country, will make it mandatory for them to fill up their Form F online. ...
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Most Bad Habits Begin Early
JoinTogether.org
From alcohol abuse to smoking, overeating to lack of exercise, most behaviors that lead to preventable deaths are well-established by adolescence or early adulthood, according to research from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
"Smoking, obesity, and alcohol abuse are leading contributors to preventable death in the United States," said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the NICHD. "By early adulthood, a large proportion of Americans smoke, are overweight, and drink alcohol to excess."
Researcher Kathleen Mullan Harris, Ph.D., and colleagues at the Carolina Population Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill examined data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and found that diet, activity level, obesity, healthcare access, tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use, and the likelihood of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease all got worse as subjects reached adulthood.
For example, just 5 percent of young white women reported getting no weekly exercise as adolescents. But that rate skyrocketed to 46 percent in early adulthood. White people, in general, were more likely to be healthy as adolescents but experience the biggest decline in healthy behaviors as adults, including high rates of smoking and binge drinking.
Black and Asian female adults were the least likely to exercise, as were white and black male adults.
"When they were young teenagers, most of the participants had fairly healthy behaviors," said Christine Bachrach, Ph.D., chief of NICHD's Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch. "What's really alarming is how rapidly healthy practices declined by the time the participants reached young adulthood."
"These trends are quite stunning," Harris added. "Whether or not the trends will continue as they age, we don't know. But it doesn't bode well for their future health, especially if these habits become established."
The research appears in the January 2006 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Harris, K. M., Gordon-Larsen, P., Chantala, K., Udry, J. R. (2006) Longitudinal Trends in Race/Ethnic Disparities in Leading Health Indicators From Adolescence to Young Adulthood. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 160: 74-81.
From alcohol abuse to smoking, overeating to lack of exercise, most behaviors that lead to preventable deaths are well-established by adolescence or early adulthood, according to research from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
"Smoking, obesity, and alcohol abuse are leading contributors to preventable death in the United States," said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the NICHD. "By early adulthood, a large proportion of Americans smoke, are overweight, and drink alcohol to excess."
Researcher Kathleen Mullan Harris, Ph.D., and colleagues at the Carolina Population Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill examined data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and found that diet, activity level, obesity, healthcare access, tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use, and the likelihood of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease all got worse as subjects reached adulthood.
For example, just 5 percent of young white women reported getting no weekly exercise as adolescents. But that rate skyrocketed to 46 percent in early adulthood. White people, in general, were more likely to be healthy as adolescents but experience the biggest decline in healthy behaviors as adults, including high rates of smoking and binge drinking.
Black and Asian female adults were the least likely to exercise, as were white and black male adults.
"When they were young teenagers, most of the participants had fairly healthy behaviors," said Christine Bachrach, Ph.D., chief of NICHD's Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch. "What's really alarming is how rapidly healthy practices declined by the time the participants reached young adulthood."
"These trends are quite stunning," Harris added. "Whether or not the trends will continue as they age, we don't know. But it doesn't bode well for their future health, especially if these habits become established."
The research appears in the January 2006 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Harris, K. M., Gordon-Larsen, P., Chantala, K., Udry, J. R. (2006) Longitudinal Trends in Race/Ethnic Disparities in Leading Health Indicators From Adolescence to Young Adulthood. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 160: 74-81.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
RAND Study Says Early Childhood Intervention Programs Save Money and Benefit Children, Families and Society
RAND | News Release :
A RAND Corporation study issued today says well-designed programs for disadvantaged children age 4 and younger can produce economic benefits ranging from $1.26 to $17 for each $1 spent on the programs.
The report by RAND Labor and Population says effective early childhood programs return more to society in benefits than they cost, by enabling youngsters to lead more successful lives and be less dependent on future government assistance. Researchers say this is because such programs help children improve their thinking skills, do better in school and develop socially.
The large differences in the dollar returns for different programs reflect variations in the populations of children served by the programs and the range of benefits that researchers could express in dollar terms. As a result, not all programs could be easily compared to other programs on a dollar basis or expressed in dollar values.
The report says high-quality early childhood programs can keep children out of expensive special education programs; reduce the number of students who fail and must repeat a grade in school; increase high school graduation rates; reduce juvenile crime; reduce the number of youngsters who wind up on welfare as adults; increase the number of students who go to college; and help adults who participated in the programs as children get better jobs and earn higher incomes.
Some of the largest benefits came from the most expensive and comprehensive programs that provide services to children throughout their first five years of life. The researchers found, however, that even some small-scale, less expensive programs also provided benefits. In addition, more disadvantaged children tend to receive greater benefits from programs. The research team believes that its estimates of benefits are likely to be conservative.
The RAND study focused on three types of early childhood programs that are typically called intervention programs and target children who need help because of several factors – such as living in poverty or in a single-parent household. Examples of intervention programs ...
...
A RAND Corporation study issued today says well-designed programs for disadvantaged children age 4 and younger can produce economic benefits ranging from $1.26 to $17 for each $1 spent on the programs.
The report by RAND Labor and Population says effective early childhood programs return more to society in benefits than they cost, by enabling youngsters to lead more successful lives and be less dependent on future government assistance. Researchers say this is because such programs help children improve their thinking skills, do better in school and develop socially.
The large differences in the dollar returns for different programs reflect variations in the populations of children served by the programs and the range of benefits that researchers could express in dollar terms. As a result, not all programs could be easily compared to other programs on a dollar basis or expressed in dollar values.
The report says high-quality early childhood programs can keep children out of expensive special education programs; reduce the number of students who fail and must repeat a grade in school; increase high school graduation rates; reduce juvenile crime; reduce the number of youngsters who wind up on welfare as adults; increase the number of students who go to college; and help adults who participated in the programs as children get better jobs and earn higher incomes.
Some of the largest benefits came from the most expensive and comprehensive programs that provide services to children throughout their first five years of life. The researchers found, however, that even some small-scale, less expensive programs also provided benefits. In addition, more disadvantaged children tend to receive greater benefits from programs. The research team believes that its estimates of benefits are likely to be conservative.
The RAND study focused on three types of early childhood programs that are typically called intervention programs and target children who need help because of several factors – such as living in poverty or in a single-parent household. Examples of intervention programs ...
...
Family-centered preventive intervention science: toward benefits to larger populations of children, youth, and families.
Entrez PubMed
The field of family-centered preventive intervention science is well poised to seize an opportunity for larger-scale intervention implementation and greater public health impact. This opportunity has been created by earlier research in the areas of epidemiology, developmental etiology, and intervention outcome research. Both earlier and current research define a number of key tasks required to meet the many challenges involved in scaling-up for greater impact. Illustrations of how these tasks can be addressed are provided in articles on programs of family-centered research with infants, children, and adolescents. Each article in this special issue treats one or more tasks that concern (a) expansion of the set of rigorously evaluated, theory-driven interventions that have potential to reach large numbers of children, youth, and families; (b) effective strategies for family recruitment and retention; (c) cultural sensitivity of interventions; (d) application of a developmental life course perspective; (e) strategies for linking higher-risk population subgroups with potentially beneficial services; (f) improved diffusion mechanisms for sustained, quality delivery; and (g) policy making informed by research, including economic analysis. A summary of how articles address these tasks concludes with a discussion of the importance of futher strengthening a public service orientation in prevention science.
The field of family-centered preventive intervention science is well poised to seize an opportunity for larger-scale intervention implementation and greater public health impact. This opportunity has been created by earlier research in the areas of epidemiology, developmental etiology, and intervention outcome research. Both earlier and current research define a number of key tasks required to meet the many challenges involved in scaling-up for greater impact. Illustrations of how these tasks can be addressed are provided in articles on programs of family-centered research with infants, children, and adolescents. Each article in this special issue treats one or more tasks that concern (a) expansion of the set of rigorously evaluated, theory-driven interventions that have potential to reach large numbers of children, youth, and families; (b) effective strategies for family recruitment and retention; (c) cultural sensitivity of interventions; (d) application of a developmental life course perspective; (e) strategies for linking higher-risk population subgroups with potentially beneficial services; (f) improved diffusion mechanisms for sustained, quality delivery; and (g) policy making informed by research, including economic analysis. A summary of how articles address these tasks concludes with a discussion of the importance of futher strengthening a public service orientation in prevention science.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Canada’s "missing daughters"
Today's Family News
"Abortion clinics in Canada are accommodating women seeking to terminate a pregnancies for no apparent reason other than gender preference.
Documents obtained by Calgary’s Western Standard magazine reportedly confirm anecdotal evidence that communities around Toronto and in B.C.’s Lower Mainland with a high proportion of immigrants from China and India have significantly more baby boys than girls. Sons are said to be favoured because they continue the family name and are presumably better able to support their parents."
...
"Abortion clinics in Canada are accommodating women seeking to terminate a pregnancies for no apparent reason other than gender preference.
Documents obtained by Calgary’s Western Standard magazine reportedly confirm anecdotal evidence that communities around Toronto and in B.C.’s Lower Mainland with a high proportion of immigrants from China and India have significantly more baby boys than girls. Sons are said to be favoured because they continue the family name and are presumably better able to support their parents."
...
China closes 201 clinics in sex selection crackdown; offers subsidies to sonless couples
casper star tribune
A Chinese province has closed 201 clinics that helped detect and abort female fetuses and is offering stipends to elderly couples without sons in an attempt to counter China's widening gender imbalance, the government said Wednesday.
Investigators in Hebei province, next to Beijing, uncovered 848 cases over the past two years where medical staff had violated rules banning gender checks that can lead to abortions, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Of 745 hospitals and clinics involved, 374 facilities were fined, and 104 medical workers had their licenses revoked for arranging the illegal practices, Xinhua said. Criminal cases were opened against three others, it said, without saying what the charges were.
...
A Chinese province has closed 201 clinics that helped detect and abort female fetuses and is offering stipends to elderly couples without sons in an attempt to counter China's widening gender imbalance, the government said Wednesday.
Investigators in Hebei province, next to Beijing, uncovered 848 cases over the past two years where medical staff had violated rules banning gender checks that can lead to abortions, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Of 745 hospitals and clinics involved, 374 facilities were fined, and 104 medical workers had their licenses revoked for arranging the illegal practices, Xinhua said. Criminal cases were opened against three others, it said, without saying what the charges were.
...
Monday, May 29, 2006
Religion News Service/Washington Post Examines Prevalence of Sex-Selective Abortion in India
Religion News Service/Washington Post / Kaisernetwork.org
The Religion News Service/Washington Post on Saturday examined the prevalence of sex-selective abortion in India despite laws forbidding the practice (Samson Katz, Religion News Service/Washington Post, 5/20). India in 1994 approved the Prenatal Determination Act, which bans the use of technologies such as ultrasounds and sonograms for the purpose of sex-selective abortion. The law also bans advertisements for prenatal sex determination, as well as the practice of preconception sex selection law (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/15). Despite the law, some advocates say the desire for male heirs has produced a need for ultrasound clinics that can determine the sex of a fetus and has created medical practices that profit mostly from performing sex-selective abortions. According to the Religion News Service/Post, some experts have estimated that some physicians charge between $80 and $230 for an ultrasound and an abortion and "still act with impunity" in relation to sex-selective abortion. "But attitudes are changing" in some Indian communities, including the village of Kajampur, where equal numbers of girls and boys have been born "for several years," the Religion News Service/Post reports (Religion News Service/Washington Post, 5/20).
The Religion News Service/Washington Post on Saturday examined the prevalence of sex-selective abortion in India despite laws forbidding the practice (Samson Katz, Religion News Service/Washington Post, 5/20). India in 1994 approved the Prenatal Determination Act, which bans the use of technologies such as ultrasounds and sonograms for the purpose of sex-selective abortion. The law also bans advertisements for prenatal sex determination, as well as the practice of preconception sex selection law (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/15). Despite the law, some advocates say the desire for male heirs has produced a need for ultrasound clinics that can determine the sex of a fetus and has created medical practices that profit mostly from performing sex-selective abortions. According to the Religion News Service/Post, some experts have estimated that some physicians charge between $80 and $230 for an ultrasound and an abortion and 'still act with impunity' in relation to sex-selective abortion. 'But attitudes are changing' in some Indian communities, including the village of Kajampur, where equal numbers of girls and boys have been born 'for several years,' the Religion News Service/Post reports (Religion News Service/Washington Post, 5/20)."
The Religion News Service/Washington Post on Saturday examined the prevalence of sex-selective abortion in India despite laws forbidding the practice (Samson Katz, Religion News Service/Washington Post, 5/20). India in 1994 approved the Prenatal Determination Act, which bans the use of technologies such as ultrasounds and sonograms for the purpose of sex-selective abortion. The law also bans advertisements for prenatal sex determination, as well as the practice of preconception sex selection law (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/15). Despite the law, some advocates say the desire for male heirs has produced a need for ultrasound clinics that can determine the sex of a fetus and has created medical practices that profit mostly from performing sex-selective abortions. According to the Religion News Service/Post, some experts have estimated that some physicians charge between $80 and $230 for an ultrasound and an abortion and "still act with impunity" in relation to sex-selective abortion. "But attitudes are changing" in some Indian communities, including the village of Kajampur, where equal numbers of girls and boys have been born "for several years," the Religion News Service/Post reports (Religion News Service/Washington Post, 5/20).
The Religion News Service/Washington Post on Saturday examined the prevalence of sex-selective abortion in India despite laws forbidding the practice (Samson Katz, Religion News Service/Washington Post, 5/20). India in 1994 approved the Prenatal Determination Act, which bans the use of technologies such as ultrasounds and sonograms for the purpose of sex-selective abortion. The law also bans advertisements for prenatal sex determination, as well as the practice of preconception sex selection law (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/15). Despite the law, some advocates say the desire for male heirs has produced a need for ultrasound clinics that can determine the sex of a fetus and has created medical practices that profit mostly from performing sex-selective abortions. According to the Religion News Service/Post, some experts have estimated that some physicians charge between $80 and $230 for an ultrasound and an abortion and 'still act with impunity' in relation to sex-selective abortion. 'But attitudes are changing' in some Indian communities, including the village of Kajampur, where equal numbers of girls and boys have been born 'for several years,' the Religion News Service/Post reports (Religion News Service/Washington Post, 5/20)."
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Early Conduct Problems and Later Life Opportunities
J Child Psychol & Psychiat
"Associations between the extent of conduct problems at age 8 years and later life opportunity outcomes at age 18 years were examined in a birth cohort of New Zealand children studied prospectively to age 18 years. Conduct problems at age 8 were assessed using a combination of parent and teacher reports of conduct disordered and oppositional behaviours. Two measures of life opportunities were assessed at age 18: (a) whether the young person had left school by age 18 without educational qualifications; (b) whether the young person had experienced a period of unemployment of 3 months or longer following school leaving.
The analysis suggested the following conclusions: (1) There were clear and significant (p< .0001) tendencies for increasing levels of conduct problems at age 8 to be associated with increasing risks of leaving school without qualifications and of unemployment by age 18. (2) A substantial component of these associations was explained by a series of confounding social, family, and individual factors (notably child intelligence, early attentional problems, and family sociodemographic disadvantage) that were associated with both early conduct problems and later life opportunities. (3) Further analysis suggested that linkages between early conduct problems and later educational underattainment and unemployment (after adjustment for confounders) were mediated by a series of adolescent behavioural processes including patterns of peer affiliations, substance use, truancy, and problems with school authority."
"Associations between the extent of conduct problems at age 8 years and later life opportunity outcomes at age 18 years were examined in a birth cohort of New Zealand children studied prospectively to age 18 years. Conduct problems at age 8 were assessed using a combination of parent and teacher reports of conduct disordered and oppositional behaviours. Two measures of life opportunities were assessed at age 18: (a) whether the young person had left school by age 18 without educational qualifications; (b) whether the young person had experienced a period of unemployment of 3 months or longer following school leaving.
The analysis suggested the following conclusions: (1) There were clear and significant (p< .0001) tendencies for increasing levels of conduct problems at age 8 to be associated with increasing risks of leaving school without qualifications and of unemployment by age 18. (2) A substantial component of these associations was explained by a series of confounding social, family, and individual factors (notably child intelligence, early attentional problems, and family sociodemographic disadvantage) that were associated with both early conduct problems and later life opportunities. (3) Further analysis suggested that linkages between early conduct problems and later educational underattainment and unemployment (after adjustment for confounders) were mediated by a series of adolescent behavioural processes including patterns of peer affiliations, substance use, truancy, and problems with school authority."
Friday, May 26, 2006
Internal Hospital Memo Provides Evidence of Sex-Selective Abortion in Canada
www.lifesite.net
Western Standard magazine, one of the few conservative publications in Canada, has acquired an internal document from Women's Hospital in Vancouver which shows that abortions are carried out at taxpayer expense when the reason is merely that the parents are not satisfied with the sex of the child. The cover story of the June issue of the magazine, which is arriving in mailboxes this week and is set to hit newsstands next week, reports moreover that similar to countries where sex-selective abortions are rampant, the birth ratio in certain communities in Canada with large Indian and Chinese populations is becoming increasingly skewed against girls.
...
Western Standard magazine, one of the few conservative publications in Canada, has acquired an internal document from Women's Hospital in Vancouver which shows that abortions are carried out at taxpayer expense when the reason is merely that the parents are not satisfied with the sex of the child. The cover story of the June issue of the magazine, which is arriving in mailboxes this week and is set to hit newsstands next week, reports moreover that similar to countries where sex-selective abortions are rampant, the birth ratio in certain communities in Canada with large Indian and Chinese populations is becoming increasingly skewed against girls.
...
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Can the Seamless Garment be Sewn? The Future of Pro-Life Progressivism
www.stthomas.edu
Pro-Life Progressivism and the Fourth Option in American Public Life
Thomas C. Berg.
Prophetic Politics: A New Option
Reverand Jim Wallis
Panel: Prospectives on Pro-Life Progressivism
The Consistent Life Ethic: A Look Around, A Look Ahead
John L. Carr
The Consistent Life Ethic
Sidney Callahan
Unraveling the "Seamless Garment"
Susan Frelich Appleton
Another Social Justice Tradition: Catholic Conservatives
Kevin E. Schmiesing
The Consistent Ethic of Life: A Proposal for Improving its Legislative Grasp
Helen M. Alvare'
Sacred Monkeys and Seamless Garments: Catholics and Political Engagement
John P. O'Callaghan
Can the Seamless Garment be Sewn? The Future of Pro-Life Progressivism
Kevin Doyle
The Coherence and Importance of Pro-Life Progressivism
Mark A. Sargent
American Catholics and the Structure of Life Attitudes
Ted G. Jelen
Faith and Values in the Public Arena: An American Catholic in Public Life
James L. Oberstar, M.C.
Pro-Life Progressivism and the Fourth Option in American Public Life
Thomas C. Berg.
Prophetic Politics: A New Option
Reverand Jim Wallis
Panel: Prospectives on Pro-Life Progressivism
The Consistent Life Ethic: A Look Around, A Look Ahead
John L. Carr
The Consistent Life Ethic
Sidney Callahan
Unraveling the "Seamless Garment"
Susan Frelich Appleton
Another Social Justice Tradition: Catholic Conservatives
Kevin E. Schmiesing
The Consistent Ethic of Life: A Proposal for Improving its Legislative Grasp
Helen M. Alvare'
Sacred Monkeys and Seamless Garments: Catholics and Political Engagement
John P. O'Callaghan
Can the Seamless Garment be Sewn? The Future of Pro-Life Progressivism
Kevin Doyle
The Coherence and Importance of Pro-Life Progressivism
Mark A. Sargent
American Catholics and the Structure of Life Attitudes
Ted G. Jelen
Faith and Values in the Public Arena: An American Catholic in Public Life
James L. Oberstar, M.C.
Monday, May 15, 2006
In India, Gender Is a Life-and-Death Issue
Newhouse A1
``All girls' parents must pay dowries," Radhika says. "We will take loans and pay it back bit by bit. It might take up to a year's time."
Though dowries are illegal in India, the law is widely ignored and the Devis fear a third daughter will send them over the edge financially. Instead, they hope for a son to one day provide for the family. He would fetch his own dowry upon marriage, take care of his parents as they grow old (India has no social security program) and carry on the family name.
In India's male-dominated society, especially the northwest, this logic is one reason parents abort an estimated half-million female fetuses each year. The practice, called female feticide, has been responsible for at least 10 million female abortions since 1985, according to a controversial study published in January in the Lancet, the British medical journal.
``All kinds of famines, epidemics and wars are nothing compared to this," said Punit Bedi, a New Delhi gynecologist. "In some parts of India, one in every five girls is being eliminated at the fetal stage.
``It is a genocidal situation."
...
``All girls' parents must pay dowries," Radhika says. "We will take loans and pay it back bit by bit. It might take up to a year's time."
Though dowries are illegal in India, the law is widely ignored and the Devis fear a third daughter will send them over the edge financially. Instead, they hope for a son to one day provide for the family. He would fetch his own dowry upon marriage, take care of his parents as they grow old (India has no social security program) and carry on the family name.
In India's male-dominated society, especially the northwest, this logic is one reason parents abort an estimated half-million female fetuses each year. The practice, called female feticide, has been responsible for at least 10 million female abortions since 1985, according to a controversial study published in January in the Lancet, the British medical journal.
``All kinds of famines, epidemics and wars are nothing compared to this," said Punit Bedi, a New Delhi gynecologist. "In some parts of India, one in every five girls is being eliminated at the fetal stage.
``It is a genocidal situation."
...
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Asociación de Víctimas del Aborto [Association of Victims of Abortion]
Asociación de Víctimas del Aborto [Association of Victims of Abortion]
Translated version of http://www.vozvictimas.org/
Medical consequences of the abortion caused in women
Translated version of http://www.vozvictimas.org/
Medical consequences of the abortion caused in women
Abortion Victims Group Established
Abortion Victims Group Established
zenit
"The Association of Victims of Abortion has been established in Spain to protect and assist anyone who have suffered directly or indirectly from the consequences of abortion.
AVA intends to 'compensate the families victims of abortion induced or caused by medical imprudence, making their voices heard in administrative proceedings and pertinent judicial endeavors,' the group said in a statement. "
zenit
"The Association of Victims of Abortion has been established in Spain to protect and assist anyone who have suffered directly or indirectly from the consequences of abortion.
AVA intends to 'compensate the families victims of abortion induced or caused by medical imprudence, making their voices heard in administrative proceedings and pertinent judicial endeavors,' the group said in a statement. "
Risk Determinants of Suicide Attempts Among Adolescents (Abstract)
Am J Economics & Sociology
"Abstract. In this article we present evidence about the factors that determine four gradual decisions on the part of adolescents to attempt suicide. To that end, we estimate a series of binary choice models by using data drawn from the U.S. National Youth Risk Behavior Surveys corresponding to 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1997. Our results show that the decisions to attempt suicide are motivated by both demographic and psychosocial variables, such as gender, age, ethnicity, education failure, possession of a gun, habitual participation in sporting activities, individual weight perception, and taking pills or provoking vomiting to lose weight. Moreover, we also find that a significant degree of influence is exerted by another group of factors, such as the consumption of drugs, sexual relationships, and, finally, pregnancy."
"Abstract. In this article we present evidence about the factors that determine four gradual decisions on the part of adolescents to attempt suicide. To that end, we estimate a series of binary choice models by using data drawn from the U.S. National Youth Risk Behavior Surveys corresponding to 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1997. Our results show that the decisions to attempt suicide are motivated by both demographic and psychosocial variables, such as gender, age, ethnicity, education failure, possession of a gun, habitual participation in sporting activities, individual weight perception, and taking pills or provoking vomiting to lose weight. Moreover, we also find that a significant degree of influence is exerted by another group of factors, such as the consumption of drugs, sexual relationships, and, finally, pregnancy."
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Clinton and Reid co-author "common ground" abortion piece
SiLive.com: NewsFlash
"ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid have co-authored an op-ed piece about finding 'common ground' on the abortion issue.
The Democrats from New York and Nevada, respectively, are on opposite sides of the abortion issue. Clinton, the former first lady and potential 2008 presidential candidate, favors abortion rights while Reid is anti-abortion.
'As two senators on opposite sides of the abortion debate, we recognize that one side will not suddenly convince the other to drop its deeply held beliefs,' the two Democrats wrote in the piece that ran in Tuesday's Albany Times Union newspaper. 'And we believe that, while disagreeing, we can work together to find common ground"
"ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid have co-authored an op-ed piece about finding 'common ground' on the abortion issue.
The Democrats from New York and Nevada, respectively, are on opposite sides of the abortion issue. Clinton, the former first lady and potential 2008 presidential candidate, favors abortion rights while Reid is anti-abortion.
'As two senators on opposite sides of the abortion debate, we recognize that one side will not suddenly convince the other to drop its deeply held beliefs,' the two Democrats wrote in the piece that ran in Tuesday's Albany Times Union newspaper. 'And we believe that, while disagreeing, we can work together to find common ground"
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Common emotional and behavioral disorders in preschool children:
J Child Psychol & Psychiat
We review recent research on the presentation, nosology and epidemiology of behavioral and emotional psychiatric disorders in preschool children (children ages 2 through 5 years old), focusing on the five most common groups of childhood psychiatric disorders: attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, oppositional defiant and conduct disorders, anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders. We review the various approaches to classifying behavioral and emotional dysregulation in preschoolers and determining the boundaries between normative variation and clinically significant presentations. While highlighting the limitations of the current DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for identifying preschool psychopathology and reviewing alternative diagnostic approaches, we also present evidence supporting the reliability and validity of developmentally appropriate criteria for diagnosing psychiatric disorders in children as young as two years old. Despite the relative lack of research on preschool psychopathology compared with studies of the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in older children, the current evidence now shows quite convincingly that the rates of the common child psychiatric disorders and the patterns of comorbidity among them in preschoolers are similar to those seen in later childhood. We review the implications of these conclusions for research on the etiology, nosology, and development of early onset of psychiatric disorders, and for targeted treatment, early intervention and prevention with young children.
We review recent research on the presentation, nosology and epidemiology of behavioral and emotional psychiatric disorders in preschool children (children ages 2 through 5 years old), focusing on the five most common groups of childhood psychiatric disorders: attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, oppositional defiant and conduct disorders, anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders. We review the various approaches to classifying behavioral and emotional dysregulation in preschoolers and determining the boundaries between normative variation and clinically significant presentations. While highlighting the limitations of the current DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for identifying preschool psychopathology and reviewing alternative diagnostic approaches, we also present evidence supporting the reliability and validity of developmentally appropriate criteria for diagnosing psychiatric disorders in children as young as two years old. Despite the relative lack of research on preschool psychopathology compared with studies of the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in older children, the current evidence now shows quite convincingly that the rates of the common child psychiatric disorders and the patterns of comorbidity among them in preschoolers are similar to those seen in later childhood. We review the implications of these conclusions for research on the etiology, nosology, and development of early onset of psychiatric disorders, and for targeted treatment, early intervention and prevention with young children.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Early Environmental Experiences and School Achievement in the Second Grade: An Israeli Study
International Journal of Behavioral Development
"This study was an attempt to replicate, in an Israeli sample, findings from American studies regarding the relationship of demographic variables, the quality of the early environment, and sociocognitive growth in children. In the first part of the study, the environment of 178 2-year-old Israeli children was assessed. Families with higher social status (SES) and fewer children were significantly more likely to provide enriching environmental experiences to their 2-year-old. In the second phase of the study, 149 of the sample were located and their school achievement assessed at the end of Grade 2. Path analysis revealed that the family's SES and number of children had both a direct and an environmentally mediated effect on children's achievement in school, and that differences in the quality of the environment at 2 years accounted for a large part of the variability in achievement both between and within social classes. As in the American studies, free exploration of developmentally challenging objects, and in particular fine-coordination toys and picture-books, was an important feature of a good rearing environment. In addition, contact with peers and extrafamilial care in the 3rd year were found also to have some unique predictive power of sociocognitive performance. The results are congruent with a model that SES and family configuration have a decisive effect on child-rearing practices and the latter, in turn, determine the course of children's cognitive and social development. The possibility was entertained that class-related differences in parental concepts of age-appropriateness contribute to the SES differences in the type of environmental experiences accorded to young children. "
"This study was an attempt to replicate, in an Israeli sample, findings from American studies regarding the relationship of demographic variables, the quality of the early environment, and sociocognitive growth in children. In the first part of the study, the environment of 178 2-year-old Israeli children was assessed. Families with higher social status (SES) and fewer children were significantly more likely to provide enriching environmental experiences to their 2-year-old. In the second phase of the study, 149 of the sample were located and their school achievement assessed at the end of Grade 2. Path analysis revealed that the family's SES and number of children had both a direct and an environmentally mediated effect on children's achievement in school, and that differences in the quality of the environment at 2 years accounted for a large part of the variability in achievement both between and within social classes. As in the American studies, free exploration of developmentally challenging objects, and in particular fine-coordination toys and picture-books, was an important feature of a good rearing environment. In addition, contact with peers and extrafamilial care in the 3rd year were found also to have some unique predictive power of sociocognitive performance. The results are congruent with a model that SES and family configuration have a decisive effect on child-rearing practices and the latter, in turn, determine the course of children's cognitive and social development. The possibility was entertained that class-related differences in parental concepts of age-appropriateness contribute to the SES differences in the type of environmental experiences accorded to young children. "
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
The Delhi state government has launched a campaign to fight the alarming rate of female foeticide
AsiaNews
"The Delhi state government has launched a campaign to fight the alarming rate of female foeticide among its people, who prefer sons to daughters, as do many other Indian states. Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, told a function marking International Women's Day that female foeticide has 'become alarming': only 814 girls are born for every 1,000 boys in Delhi.
The 2001 census showed Delhi's sex ratio was 865 for the 0-6 year age group, against the national average of 927. If this decline continues, the number of girls born is likely to go well below 800 in Delhi by the next census, say experts. The UN Population Fund sets the normal sex ratio at birth as 950 girls for 1,000 boys."
...
"The Delhi state government has launched a campaign to fight the alarming rate of female foeticide among its people, who prefer sons to daughters, as do many other Indian states. Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, told a function marking International Women's Day that female foeticide has 'become alarming': only 814 girls are born for every 1,000 boys in Delhi.
The 2001 census showed Delhi's sex ratio was 865 for the 0-6 year age group, against the national average of 927. If this decline continues, the number of girls born is likely to go well below 800 in Delhi by the next census, say experts. The UN Population Fund sets the normal sex ratio at birth as 950 girls for 1,000 boys."
...
Thursday, April 20, 2006
China Gender Imbalance Problem Growing as Sex-Selection Abortions Continue
lifenews
The gender imbalance problem in China is growing as laws meant to crack down on sex-selection abortions are minimally enforced. As a result men outnumber women in great numbers, infanticide continues, and some girls luck enough to be born are sold into marriage.
The latest Chinese census shows 120 men for every 100 women in the Asian nation, up from 117 per 100 in the 2000 census.
The gender imbalance has grown since the country introduced the population control policies after a post World War II baby boom. The program forced Chinese couples to have only one child and women getting pregnant a second time are often forced to have abortions, fined, imprisoned and they and their husbands and families face significant persecution.
The gender imbalance problem in China is growing as laws meant to crack down on sex-selection abortions are minimally enforced. As a result men outnumber women in great numbers, infanticide continues, and some girls luck enough to be born are sold into marriage.
The latest Chinese census shows 120 men for every 100 women in the Asian nation, up from 117 per 100 in the 2000 census.
The gender imbalance has grown since the country introduced the population control policies after a post World War II baby boom. The program forced Chinese couples to have only one child and women getting pregnant a second time are often forced to have abortions, fined, imprisoned and they and their husbands and families face significant persecution.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Dealing with children's misbehavior
www.news-medical.net
When children's misbehavior or delinquency creates problems, it's not enough to deal with the children alone. Mental health professionals recommend behavioral parent training as well, reports the April issue of Harvard Mental Health Letter.
Behavioral parent training teaches parents to substitute systematic for arbitrary discipline. Parents learn how to set rules and define the consequences for disobeying them. They also learn how to negotiate with older children, how to follow through on warnings, and how to identify early signs of trouble and talk to children about these problems.
It is particularly important that parents also respond to good behavior with praise and encouragement, says the Harvard Mental Health Letter. Parents are taught to reward a child's behavior one action at a time. They learn to point out what the child is doing right before discussing what needs improvement.
When children's misbehavior or delinquency creates problems, it's not enough to deal with the children alone. Mental health professionals recommend behavioral parent training as well, reports the April issue of Harvard Mental Health Letter.
Behavioral parent training teaches parents to substitute systematic for arbitrary discipline. Parents learn how to set rules and define the consequences for disobeying them. They also learn how to negotiate with older children, how to follow through on warnings, and how to identify early signs of trouble and talk to children about these problems.
It is particularly important that parents also respond to good behavior with praise and encouragement, says the Harvard Mental Health Letter. Parents are taught to reward a child's behavior one action at a time. They learn to point out what the child is doing right before discussing what needs improvement.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Developmental Outcomes for Children of Young Mothers
J Marriage and Family
"Boys born to mothers who began childbearing before age 19 had elevated risks of drug use, gang membership, unemployment, and early parenthood. Girls born to young mothers only had elevated risks of early parenthood. Of the mediators tested, low maternal education had the largest mediating effects. The findings suggest that the risks associated with being born to a young mother are substantial but perhaps disproportionately so for boys."
"Boys born to mothers who began childbearing before age 19 had elevated risks of drug use, gang membership, unemployment, and early parenthood. Girls born to young mothers only had elevated risks of early parenthood. Of the mediators tested, low maternal education had the largest mediating effects. The findings suggest that the risks associated with being born to a young mother are substantial but perhaps disproportionately so for boys."
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Welcome to Mother's Choice
A Mother's Choice
"A Mother’s Choice strives to inform and raise awareness of the socio-economic issues surrounding abortion, as well as, provide understanding of the challenges faced by women as mothers."
"A Mother’s Choice strives to inform and raise awareness of the socio-economic issues surrounding abortion, as well as, provide understanding of the challenges faced by women as mothers."
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Prematurity 'affects personality'
BBC NEWS
"Being born very premature can affect a child's personality into adulthood, a study has suggested."
"Being born very premature can affect a child's personality into adulthood, a study has suggested."
Friday, March 24, 2006
What predicts traditional attitudes to marriage? (Abstract)
Children & Society
"This study, using data from 5,689 cohort members of the National Child Development Study, explores the impact of both structure of parenting family and contextual factors on attitudes towards marriage at age 33. Traditional attitudes to marriage were positively related to religiosity and negatively related to high non-verbal skills in childhood and smoking or drinking in adulthood but were unrelated to the structure or background of parental family. The results also yielded some very interesting gender differences. For example, the presence of partner at age 33 significantly predicted traditional attitudes to marriage in women but not in men. In men, by contrast, it was the presence of children at age 33, the absence of qualifications and current low socio-economic status that were associated with traditional attitudes to marriage. The implications of these findings on future family change are discussed. "
"This study, using data from 5,689 cohort members of the National Child Development Study, explores the impact of both structure of parenting family and contextual factors on attitudes towards marriage at age 33. Traditional attitudes to marriage were positively related to religiosity and negatively related to high non-verbal skills in childhood and smoking or drinking in adulthood but were unrelated to the structure or background of parental family. The results also yielded some very interesting gender differences. For example, the presence of partner at age 33 significantly predicted traditional attitudes to marriage in women but not in men. In men, by contrast, it was the presence of children at age 33, the absence of qualifications and current low socio-economic status that were associated with traditional attitudes to marriage. The implications of these findings on future family change are discussed. "
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Risk Factors and Life Processes Associated with Teenage Pregnancy: Results of a Prospective Study From Birth to 20 Years
Journal of Marriage and Family
Lianne Woodward, David M. Fergusson, and L. John Horwood
Data gathered over the course of a 20-year longitudinal study of 533 New Zealand women were used to (a) describe the extent and timing of pregnancies within the cohort up to age 20, and (b) examine the extent to which the risk of an early pregnancy was related to a range of social background, family, individual, and peer relationship factors measured over the course of childhood and adolescence. Results showed that by age 20, nearly a quarter of the sample had been pregnant at least once, with the majority of first pregnancies occurring between the ages of 17 and 20 years. The profile of those at greatest risk of a teenage pregnancy (<20 years) was that of an early-maturing girl with conduct problems who had been reared in a family environment characterized by parental instability and maternal role models of young single motherhood. As young adolescents, these girls were characterized by high rates of sexual risk-taking and deviant peer involvement. Exposure to social and individual adversity during both childhood and adolescence made independent contributions to an individual's risk of an early pregnancy. These findings were most consistent with a life course developmental model of the etiology of teenage pregnancy. Implications for teenage pregnancy prevention are discussed."
Maternal Age and Educational and Psychosocial Outcomes in Early Adulthood
J Child Psychol & Psychiat
"The relationships between maternal age (at birth) and educational and psychosocial outcomes at age 18 were examined in a birth cohort of 1025 New Zealand children. This analysis indicated the presence of consistent tendencies for increasing maternal age to be associated with declining risks of educational underachievement, juvenile crime, substance misuse, and mental health problems. Children with teenage mothers had risks of later adverse outcomes that were 1.5 to 8.9 times higher than the risks for offspring of mothers aged over 30. Subsequent analyses revealed that the associations between maternal age and later educational and psychosocial outcomes were largely, but not wholly, explained by associations between maternal age and the child-rearing practices and home environments experienced by children. In general, increasing maternal age tended to be associated with more nurturant, supportive, and stable home environments. In turn, these linkages between maternal and childhood environment explained most of the association between maternal age and later outcomes. The theoretical and applied implications of these results are considered."
"The relationships between maternal age (at birth) and educational and psychosocial outcomes at age 18 were examined in a birth cohort of 1025 New Zealand children. This analysis indicated the presence of consistent tendencies for increasing maternal age to be associated with declining risks of educational underachievement, juvenile crime, substance misuse, and mental health problems. Children with teenage mothers had risks of later adverse outcomes that were 1.5 to 8.9 times higher than the risks for offspring of mothers aged over 30. Subsequent analyses revealed that the associations between maternal age and later educational and psychosocial outcomes were largely, but not wholly, explained by associations between maternal age and the child-rearing practices and home environments experienced by children. In general, increasing maternal age tended to be associated with more nurturant, supportive, and stable home environments. In turn, these linkages between maternal and childhood environment explained most of the association between maternal age and later outcomes. The theoretical and applied implications of these results are considered."
Saturday, March 18, 2006
future of children
Articles
"As Nobel laureate James Heckman notes, evaluations of social programs targeted at children from disadvantaged families suggest that it is easier to change cognition and behavior in early childhood than in adolescence.4"
"As Nobel laureate James Heckman notes, evaluations of social programs targeted at children from disadvantaged families suggest that it is easier to change cognition and behavior in early childhood than in adolescence.4"
Friday, March 17, 2006
Deaths associated with abortion compared to childbirth: a review of new and old data and the medical and legal implications
The Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy 2004
Reardon DC, Strahan TW, Thorp JM, Shuping MW
Methods for identifying pregnancy-associated deaths: population-based data from Finland 1987–2000
Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol
To find maternal and pregnancy-related deaths, it is important that all pregnancy-associated deaths are identified. This article examines the effect of data linkages between national health care registers and complete death certificate data on pregnancy-associated deaths. All deaths among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in Finland during the period 1987–2000 (n = 15 823) were identified from the Cause-of-Death Register and linked to the Medical Birth Register (n = 865 988 births), the Register on Induced Abortions (n = 156 789 induced abortions), and the Hospital Discharge Register (n = 118 490 spontaneous abortions) to determine whether women had been pregnant within 1 year before death. The death certificates of the 419 women thus identified were reviewed to find whether the pregnancy or its termination was coded or mentioned. In total, 405 deaths (96.7%) were identified in registers other than the Cause-of-Death Register. Without data linkages, 73% of all pregnancy-associated deaths would have been missed; the percentage after induced and spontaneous abortions was even higher. Data linkages to national health care registers provide better information on maternal deaths and pregnancy-associated deaths than death certificates alone. If possible, pregnancies not ending in a live birth should be included in the data linkages.
To find maternal and pregnancy-related deaths, it is important that all pregnancy-associated deaths are identified. This article examines the effect of data linkages between national health care registers and complete death certificate data on pregnancy-associated deaths. All deaths among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in Finland during the period 1987–2000 (n = 15 823) were identified from the Cause-of-Death Register and linked to the Medical Birth Register (n = 865 988 births), the Register on Induced Abortions (n = 156 789 induced abortions), and the Hospital Discharge Register (n = 118 490 spontaneous abortions) to determine whether women had been pregnant within 1 year before death. The death certificates of the 419 women thus identified were reviewed to find whether the pregnancy or its termination was coded or mentioned. In total, 405 deaths (96.7%) were identified in registers other than the Cause-of-Death Register. Without data linkages, 73% of all pregnancy-associated deaths would have been missed; the percentage after induced and spontaneous abortions was even higher. Data linkages to national health care registers provide better information on maternal deaths and pregnancy-associated deaths than death certificates alone. If possible, pregnancies not ending in a live birth should be included in the data linkages.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Scant Drop Seen in Abortion Rate if Parents Are Told
New York Times
For all the passions they generate, laws that require minors to notify their parents or get permission to have an abortion do not appear to have produced the sharp drop in teenage abortion rates that some advocates hoped for, an analysis by The New York Times shows.
....
For all the passions they generate, laws that require minors to notify their parents or get permission to have an abortion do not appear to have produced the sharp drop in teenage abortion rates that some advocates hoped for, an analysis by The New York Times shows.
....
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Abortion foes split on tactics
csmonitor.com: "WASHINGTON - South Dakota has reignited the battle over abortion - and not just the usual one between opposing camps. A long-simmering debate has also heated up within the antiabortion movement.
Here's the question: Is it smarter to try to undo the nationwide legal right to abortion with one sweeping law - a 'full-frontal attack' - or via a series of smaller laws that chip away at abortion rights and severely restrict access?
The easy passage last week by the South Dakota legislature of a bill banning nearly all abortions in the state has moved the question to center stage. The bill contains no exceptions for rape or incest; it allows abortion only when it is deemed necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman. Backers of the bill across the country are urging the governor to sign it, thus sending it on a legal journey they hope will eventually reach the US Supreme Court.
But that gambit could backfire, setting back efforts to overturn the 1973 ruling, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in all 50 states. Currently, the majority of sitting justices are on the record favoring Roe. And there is no guarantee that the two new justices, John Roberts and Samuel Alito, would look favorably upon a petition to reconsider Roe so soon after joining the court, or even in a few years.
'The only thing that asking for too much, too soon, produces is a further reaffirmation of Casey and Roe,' says legal historian David Garrow, referring to a 1992 high-court case that reinforced the core holding of Roe. 'As we heard countless times from Alito and Roberts at their [confirmation] hearings, every time a precedent is reendorsed, it is further strengthened.'
...
Here's the question: Is it smarter to try to undo the nationwide legal right to abortion with one sweeping law - a 'full-frontal attack' - or via a series of smaller laws that chip away at abortion rights and severely restrict access?
The easy passage last week by the South Dakota legislature of a bill banning nearly all abortions in the state has moved the question to center stage. The bill contains no exceptions for rape or incest; it allows abortion only when it is deemed necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman. Backers of the bill across the country are urging the governor to sign it, thus sending it on a legal journey they hope will eventually reach the US Supreme Court.
But that gambit could backfire, setting back efforts to overturn the 1973 ruling, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in all 50 states. Currently, the majority of sitting justices are on the record favoring Roe. And there is no guarantee that the two new justices, John Roberts and Samuel Alito, would look favorably upon a petition to reconsider Roe so soon after joining the court, or even in a few years.
'The only thing that asking for too much, too soon, produces is a further reaffirmation of Casey and Roe,' says legal historian David Garrow, referring to a 1992 high-court case that reinforced the core holding of Roe. 'As we heard countless times from Alito and Roberts at their [confirmation] hearings, every time a precedent is reendorsed, it is further strengthened.'
...
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
A scorecard on curtailing unwanted pregnancy
csmonitor.com
WASHINGTON - Behind the ever-boiling battle over abortion in America sits a quieter but still central issue: access to contraception. And the news there may be surprising.
In a report released Tuesday, the New York-based Guttmacher Institute ranked all 50 states in their efforts to reduce unintended pregnancy and found a diverse collection of states at the top. California ranked first and New York ranked fifth, a result that may seem predictable, given both states' liberal orientations toward social issues. But between them in the highest rankings sit three conservative states - Alaska, South Carolina, and Alabama.
The reason, says the report's author, is that these states are acutely aware of the relationship between unintended pregnancy and dependence on welfare, and they see the economic and social benefit in helping women avoid unintended pregnancy. In turn, that helps women avoid the abortion question altogether.
"What you see in these results is that helping women avoid unintended pregnancy is not just a blue-state issue," says author Cynthia Dailard, a policy analyst at Guttmacher. The institute was at one time affiliated with Planned Parenthood, but is no longer.
"Alaska, Alabama, and South Carolina scored very high, even though we think of them as having an anti-abortion environment," says Ms. Dailard. "But they've really stepped up to the plate in terms of making family-planning services available, particularly to low-income women."
All 50 states and the District of Columbia were rated on three criteria: service availability, laws and policies, and public funding.
..
WASHINGTON - Behind the ever-boiling battle over abortion in America sits a quieter but still central issue: access to contraception. And the news there may be surprising.
In a report released Tuesday, the New York-based Guttmacher Institute ranked all 50 states in their efforts to reduce unintended pregnancy and found a diverse collection of states at the top. California ranked first and New York ranked fifth, a result that may seem predictable, given both states' liberal orientations toward social issues. But between them in the highest rankings sit three conservative states - Alaska, South Carolina, and Alabama.
The reason, says the report's author, is that these states are acutely aware of the relationship between unintended pregnancy and dependence on welfare, and they see the economic and social benefit in helping women avoid unintended pregnancy. In turn, that helps women avoid the abortion question altogether.
"What you see in these results is that helping women avoid unintended pregnancy is not just a blue-state issue," says author Cynthia Dailard, a policy analyst at Guttmacher. The institute was at one time affiliated with Planned Parenthood, but is no longer.
"Alaska, Alabama, and South Carolina scored very high, even though we think of them as having an anti-abortion environment," says Ms. Dailard. "But they've really stepped up to the plate in terms of making family-planning services available, particularly to low-income women."
All 50 states and the District of Columbia were rated on three criteria: service availability, laws and policies, and public funding.
..
Thursday, February 23, 2006
South Dakota Senate OKs Bill to Outlaw Abortion
Los Angeles Times
"PIERRE, S.D. — Legislation meant to prompt a national legal battle targeting Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide, was approved Wednesday by the South Dakota Senate, moving the bill a step closer to final passage.
The measure, which would ban nearly all abortions in the state, now returns to the House, which passed a different version earlier. The House must decide whether to accept changes made by the Senate, which passed its version 23-12. "
...
"PIERRE, S.D. — Legislation meant to prompt a national legal battle targeting Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide, was approved Wednesday by the South Dakota Senate, moving the bill a step closer to final passage.
The measure, which would ban nearly all abortions in the state, now returns to the House, which passed a different version earlier. The House must decide whether to accept changes made by the Senate, which passed its version 23-12. "
...
Sunday, February 19, 2006
American Psychological Association Criticized for Pro-Abortion Position
LifeNews.com
by Steven Ertelt
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The American Psychological Association is coming under fire for continuing its long-standing position in favor of abortion despite new studies showing abortion causes a host of psychological and emotional problems for women.
The APA adopted a pro-abortion position in 1969, but it was not based on any research showing abortion to be psychologically beneficial for women.
Dr. David Reardon of the Illinois-based Elliot Institute, which examines the effects abortion has on women, says the organization should re-evaluate its position in light of a new study linking abortion to mental illness.
New Zealand researchers tracked 25 years of worth of data on women drawn from one of the largest and most comprehensive longitudinal studies in the world. Led by Prof. David M. Fergusson, who backs legal abortion, the team expected their study to refute others linking abortion to higher rates of mental health problems.
Instead, the team found abortion was clearly linked to elevated rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal behavior.
Reardon says the findings so surprised Fergusson's team that they began reviewing studies cited by the APA in its claims that abortion is beneficial, or at least non-harmful, to women's mental health.
They found that the APA's claims were based on a small number of studies that had severe shortcomings and that the organization is ignoring a number of newer studies showing abortion adversely affects women.
The criticism of the APA has led psychologist and newspaper columnist Warren Throckmorton, in a Washington Times column, to call on the APA to address Fergusson's criticisms. According to Reardon, he was referred to Nancy Felipe Russo, a researcher who speaks for the APA on women's issues.
However, Russo, professor in psychology at Arizona State University, is an abortion advocate who tries to use her position in APA to refute pro-life assertions that abortions hurt women.
Russo participated with an APA group in February 2003 in putting together a web site designed to "correct inaccurate information about" abortion put out by pro-life groups.
Russo and two psychology professors co-chaired the panel charged with creating the web site.
In an interview with the APA's news publication, Russo discounted assertions by pro-life researchers that women who have abortions can suffer from post-abortion syndrome.
"Anti-abortion advocates allege that post-abortion syndrome is a type of post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], though no scientific basis exists for applying a PTSD framework to understanding women's emotional responses to a voluntarily obtained legal abortion," Russo claimed.
When Throckmorton asked Russo to comment on the New Zealand study and the APA criticisms, she indicated the group developed its position on abortion based on ideological and not scientific reasons.
She told Throckmorton the study would not alter APA's pro-abortion position because "to pro-choice advocates, mental health effects are not relevant to the legal context of arguments to restrict access to abortion."
Throckmorton sent a rough draft of his article to Dr. Reardon for comment and Russo was quoted more bluntly saying "it doesn't matter what the evidence says." Reardon says that comment was stricken before the Times article was published.
According to Reardon, an author of several of the studies on abortion that have been ignored by the APA, Russo's statements "confirm the complaint of critics that the APA's briefs to the Supreme Court and state legislatures are really about promoting a view about civil rights, not science."
"Toward this end, the APA has set up task forces and divisions that include only psychologists who share the same bias in favor of abortion," he explained.
Reardon believes the APA's task forces on abortion have actually served to stifle rather than encourage research.
"When researchers like Fergusson or myself publish data showing abortion is linked to mental health problems, members of the APA's abortion policy police rush forward to tell the public to ignore our findings because they are completely out of line with their own 'consensus' statements which are positioned as the APA's official interpretation of the meaningful research on abortion," he said.
by Steven Ertelt
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The American Psychological Association is coming under fire for continuing its long-standing position in favor of abortion despite new studies showing abortion causes a host of psychological and emotional problems for women.
The APA adopted a pro-abortion position in 1969, but it was not based on any research showing abortion to be psychologically beneficial for women.
Dr. David Reardon of the Illinois-based Elliot Institute, which examines the effects abortion has on women, says the organization should re-evaluate its position in light of a new study linking abortion to mental illness.
New Zealand researchers tracked 25 years of worth of data on women drawn from one of the largest and most comprehensive longitudinal studies in the world. Led by Prof. David M. Fergusson, who backs legal abortion, the team expected their study to refute others linking abortion to higher rates of mental health problems.
Instead, the team found abortion was clearly linked to elevated rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal behavior.
Reardon says the findings so surprised Fergusson's team that they began reviewing studies cited by the APA in its claims that abortion is beneficial, or at least non-harmful, to women's mental health.
They found that the APA's claims were based on a small number of studies that had severe shortcomings and that the organization is ignoring a number of newer studies showing abortion adversely affects women.
The criticism of the APA has led psychologist and newspaper columnist Warren Throckmorton, in a Washington Times column, to call on the APA to address Fergusson's criticisms. According to Reardon, he was referred to Nancy Felipe Russo, a researcher who speaks for the APA on women's issues.
However, Russo, professor in psychology at Arizona State University, is an abortion advocate who tries to use her position in APA to refute pro-life assertions that abortions hurt women.
Russo participated with an APA group in February 2003 in putting together a web site designed to "correct inaccurate information about" abortion put out by pro-life groups.
Russo and two psychology professors co-chaired the panel charged with creating the web site.
In an interview with the APA's news publication, Russo discounted assertions by pro-life researchers that women who have abortions can suffer from post-abortion syndrome.
"Anti-abortion advocates allege that post-abortion syndrome is a type of post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], though no scientific basis exists for applying a PTSD framework to understanding women's emotional responses to a voluntarily obtained legal abortion," Russo claimed.
When Throckmorton asked Russo to comment on the New Zealand study and the APA criticisms, she indicated the group developed its position on abortion based on ideological and not scientific reasons.
She told Throckmorton the study would not alter APA's pro-abortion position because "to pro-choice advocates, mental health effects are not relevant to the legal context of arguments to restrict access to abortion."
Throckmorton sent a rough draft of his article to Dr. Reardon for comment and Russo was quoted more bluntly saying "it doesn't matter what the evidence says." Reardon says that comment was stricken before the Times article was published.
According to Reardon, an author of several of the studies on abortion that have been ignored by the APA, Russo's statements "confirm the complaint of critics that the APA's briefs to the Supreme Court and state legislatures are really about promoting a view about civil rights, not science."
"Toward this end, the APA has set up task forces and divisions that include only psychologists who share the same bias in favor of abortion," he explained.
Reardon believes the APA's task forces on abortion have actually served to stifle rather than encourage research.
"When researchers like Fergusson or myself publish data showing abortion is linked to mental health problems, members of the APA's abortion policy police rush forward to tell the public to ignore our findings because they are completely out of line with their own 'consensus' statements which are positioned as the APA's official interpretation of the meaningful research on abortion," he said.
Friday, February 03, 2006
Appeals courts: Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional
Newsday.com
"The appeals courts said the measure lacks an exception for cases that threaten a woman's health. "
...
"The appeals courts said the measure lacks an exception for cases that threaten a woman's health. "
...
Democratic '95-10 Initiative' seeks to reduce U.S. abortion rate
National Catholic Reporter
"The message delivered by the estimated 100,000-plus antiabortion protesters who gathered here Jan. 23 for the 33rd annual “March for Life” was clear: Overturn Roe v. Wade.
“By changing laws we can change our culture,” President Bush, speaking by telephone hookup from Kansas, told the marchers. “This is a cause that appeals to the conscience of our citizens, and is rooted in America’s deepest principles – and history tells us that with such a cause, we will prevail,” said Bush.
The marchers gathered the day before the full Senate took up the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. And though the replacement of swing-vote justice Sandra Day O’Connor with Bush-nominee Alito would leave the court with a 5-4 pro-Roe majority, even if the new justice was inclined to overturn the 1973 decision (a pledge he refused to make at his Senate confirmation hearings), his accession to the high court presents the pro-life forces with an opportunity.
Kristen Day, a former Congressional chief of staff who now heads Democrats for Life, was among the antiabortion marchers. She, too, would like to see Roe reversed, but her short-term goals are focused on another opportunity. Working with pro-life Democrats in both the House and Senate, Democrats for Life is spearheading an ambitious initiative that avoids discussion of Roe as it seeks a 95 percent reduction in the abortion rate over the next decade."
...
Bipartisan answers
The Phoenix Online
"This past week in The New York Times science section, I found an interesting confirmation of a partially-formed idea in the back of my mind: “Liberals and conservatives can become equally bug-eyed and irrational when talking politics, especially when they are on the defensive…. The process [of digesting criticisms about one’s candidate] is almost entirely emotional and unconscious, the researchers report, and there are flares of activity in the brain’s pleasure centers when unwelcome information is being rejected.” It appears that try as we might to remain purely reasonable in politics and debate, we are working against a natural inclination to which we succumb more often than we notice. Our passions sway us and can blind us to the other side of the argument.
I first experienced this phenomenon with the ever-touchy issue of abortion. I remember my mother describing what happens to a fetus during an abortion, and the image infuriates me to this day. I was then and remain staunchly against abortion. For many years, I could not understand how sane, ethical human beings could think otherwise. In high school, though, I encountered a girl who had just finished some reading for a class she had that was discussing abortion. She had seen a picture of the victim of a botched back-alley abortion, and the image she saw angered her as much as the one I had heard from my mother angered me. Since then, I have come to realize that that though I still oppose it strongly, abortion is not as black and white as I once thought it to be."
...
"This past week in The New York Times science section, I found an interesting confirmation of a partially-formed idea in the back of my mind: “Liberals and conservatives can become equally bug-eyed and irrational when talking politics, especially when they are on the defensive…. The process [of digesting criticisms about one’s candidate] is almost entirely emotional and unconscious, the researchers report, and there are flares of activity in the brain’s pleasure centers when unwelcome information is being rejected.” It appears that try as we might to remain purely reasonable in politics and debate, we are working against a natural inclination to which we succumb more often than we notice. Our passions sway us and can blind us to the other side of the argument.
I first experienced this phenomenon with the ever-touchy issue of abortion. I remember my mother describing what happens to a fetus during an abortion, and the image infuriates me to this day. I was then and remain staunchly against abortion. For many years, I could not understand how sane, ethical human beings could think otherwise. In high school, though, I encountered a girl who had just finished some reading for a class she had that was discussing abortion. She had seen a picture of the victim of a botched back-alley abortion, and the image she saw angered her as much as the one I had heard from my mother angered me. Since then, I have come to realize that that though I still oppose it strongly, abortion is not as black and white as I once thought it to be."
...
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Bio Frederica Mathewes-Green
ambassadoragency.com
Frederica Mathewes-Green's
Biography:
"Few people are welcome in as many different settings as Frederica Mathewes-Green. You might find her giving a speech at Harvard, then appearing at a pregnancy center banquet. She may speak about prayer at the Smithsonian Institution, keynote a national conference, and then lead a women's retreat. Colleges have made Frederica a regular at 'Art and Writing' conferences.
She's at home in many media. You've probably heard her commentaries on National Public Radio, talking about the pro-life issue, talking about her faith. She's been interviewed on TV from 'PrimeTime Live' to PBS, CNN, Fox, and most major news shows; by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and most major newspapers; and by Diane Rehm, Janet Parshall, and many national radio shows.
Her work as a writer is just as diverse. Frederica reviews several films each month, and also replies to readers' questions in a 'theological advice column' for the Christian Reader. A regular contributor to Christianity Today, First Things and other magazines, she has been repeatedly selected for the annual 'Best Christian Writing.' The multi-faith web magazine Beliefnet.com regularly invites her to present the classic Christian perspective, and her opinion pieces are featured at National Review Online.
And we haven't even started on her books yet. "
...
Frederica Mathewes-Green's
Biography:
"Few people are welcome in as many different settings as Frederica Mathewes-Green. You might find her giving a speech at Harvard, then appearing at a pregnancy center banquet. She may speak about prayer at the Smithsonian Institution, keynote a national conference, and then lead a women's retreat. Colleges have made Frederica a regular at 'Art and Writing' conferences.
She's at home in many media. You've probably heard her commentaries on National Public Radio, talking about the pro-life issue, talking about her faith. She's been interviewed on TV from 'PrimeTime Live' to PBS, CNN, Fox, and most major news shows; by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and most major newspapers; and by Diane Rehm, Janet Parshall, and many national radio shows.
Her work as a writer is just as diverse. Frederica reviews several films each month, and also replies to readers' questions in a 'theological advice column' for the Christian Reader. A regular contributor to Christianity Today, First Things and other magazines, she has been repeatedly selected for the annual 'Best Christian Writing.' The multi-faith web magazine Beliefnet.com regularly invites her to present the classic Christian perspective, and her opinion pieces are featured at National Review Online.
And we haven't even started on her books yet. "
...
Griego: Ritter's abortion stance may signal future
Rocky Mountain News: Columnists
"Access to health care. More education. Greater availability of contraceptives. More money for family planning. Equals fewer abortions. It's common sense. Which means it'll never happen, says a pro-choice Republican friend of mine who's fed up with the Christian fundamentalist hijacking of his party. Each side refuses to give ground when both, ostensibly, want the same thing: fewer abortions.
I don't know if Ritter could lead the Democratic Party toward common ground. I think he is still wrestling with his own conflicts. But, clearly, common ground is one of his goals. At the very least, I hope he borrows one of Saletan's best lines: 'My opponent and I are both pro-life. We want to avoid as many abortions as we can. The difference is, I trust women to work with me toward that objective and he doesn't.'
One final thought about dodging moral issues: What minds religion cannot sway, science will. Technology has already given us the ability to peer into the womb at earlier stages of pregnancy and with greater clarity.
In 1998, when I was pregnant with my daughter, an ultrasound technician rubbed jelly on my belly and ran the probe over it and I turned to the screen to see - a satellite weather photo. In 2001, when I was pregnant with my son and after a suspicious blood screening, I had an ultrasound a few weeks earlier than what is typical. I turned to look. This time I saw a hand, a foot, the flutter of a heart, beating."
"Access to health care. More education. Greater availability of contraceptives. More money for family planning. Equals fewer abortions. It's common sense. Which means it'll never happen, says a pro-choice Republican friend of mine who's fed up with the Christian fundamentalist hijacking of his party. Each side refuses to give ground when both, ostensibly, want the same thing: fewer abortions.
I don't know if Ritter could lead the Democratic Party toward common ground. I think he is still wrestling with his own conflicts. But, clearly, common ground is one of his goals. At the very least, I hope he borrows one of Saletan's best lines: 'My opponent and I are both pro-life. We want to avoid as many abortions as we can. The difference is, I trust women to work with me toward that objective and he doesn't.'
One final thought about dodging moral issues: What minds religion cannot sway, science will. Technology has already given us the ability to peer into the womb at earlier stages of pregnancy and with greater clarity.
In 1998, when I was pregnant with my daughter, an ultrasound technician rubbed jelly on my belly and ran the probe over it and I turned to the screen to see - a satellite weather photo. In 2001, when I was pregnant with my son and after a suspicious blood screening, I had an ultrasound a few weeks earlier than what is typical. I turned to look. This time I saw a hand, a foot, the flutter of a heart, beating."
Sunday, January 22, 2006
States Step Up Fight on Abortion
Los Angeles Times
"Anticipating a more conservative Supreme Court, lawmakers are proposing bans in hope of forcing the justices to revisit Roe vs. Wade.
By P.J. Huffstutter and Stephanie Simon
INDIANAPOLIS — Taking direct aim at Roe vs. Wade, lawmakers from several states are proposing broad restrictions on abortion, with the goal of forcing the U.S. Supreme Court — once it has a second new justice — to revisit the landmark ruling issued 33 years ago today.
The bill under consideration in Indiana would ban all abortions, except when continuing the pregnancy would threaten the woman's life or put her physical health in danger of 'substantial permanent impairment.' Similar legislation is pending in Ohio, Georgia and Tennessee."
..
"Anticipating a more conservative Supreme Court, lawmakers are proposing bans in hope of forcing the justices to revisit Roe vs. Wade.
By P.J. Huffstutter and Stephanie Simon
INDIANAPOLIS — Taking direct aim at Roe vs. Wade, lawmakers from several states are proposing broad restrictions on abortion, with the goal of forcing the U.S. Supreme Court — once it has a second new justice — to revisit the landmark ruling issued 33 years ago today.
The bill under consideration in Indiana would ban all abortions, except when continuing the pregnancy would threaten the woman's life or put her physical health in danger of 'substantial permanent impairment.' Similar legislation is pending in Ohio, Georgia and Tennessee."
..
Prescription for Health: Changing Primary Care Practice to Foster Healthy Behaviors -- Cifuentes et al.
Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.
"These projects confirm the feasibility of health behavior counseling in primary care practice. They also highlight the need for substantive practice redesign, and the value of models and frameworks to guide redesign and collaborative efforts."
Friday, January 20, 2006
ProLife Feminism- Yesterday and Today
Xlibris.Com Bookstore
"Is abortion on 'demand' a woman's right, or a wrong inflicted on women? Is it a mark of liberation, or a sign that women are not yet free? From Anglo-Irish writer Mary Wollstonecraft to Kenyan environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, many eighteenth- through twenty-first-century feminists have opposed it as violence against fetal lives arising from violence against female lives. This more inclusive, surprisingly old-but-new vision of reproductive choice is called prolife feminism.
This book's original edition in 1995 offered brilliant essays on abortion and related social justice issues by the likes of suffragists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. A decade of activism and research since has made this second, greatly expanded second edition necessary. It not only documents the continuing evolution of prolife feminism worldwide, but more accurately represents the rich diversity of past and present women--and men--who have stood up for both mother and child. It thus is a vital, unique resource for peacemaking in the increasingly globalized abortion war."
"Is abortion on 'demand' a woman's right, or a wrong inflicted on women? Is it a mark of liberation, or a sign that women are not yet free? From Anglo-Irish writer Mary Wollstonecraft to Kenyan environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, many eighteenth- through twenty-first-century feminists have opposed it as violence against fetal lives arising from violence against female lives. This more inclusive, surprisingly old-but-new vision of reproductive choice is called prolife feminism.
This book's original edition in 1995 offered brilliant essays on abortion and related social justice issues by the likes of suffragists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. A decade of activism and research since has made this second, greatly expanded second edition necessary. It not only documents the continuing evolution of prolife feminism worldwide, but more accurately represents the rich diversity of past and present women--and men--who have stood up for both mother and child. It thus is a vital, unique resource for peacemaking in the increasingly globalized abortion war."
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Family Functioning of Children with Hyperactivity
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Lianne Woodward, Eric Taylor & Linda Dowdney
This study examined the parenting and family life correlates of childhood hyperactivity in a community sample of London school children. Twenty-eight boys with pervasive hyperactivity were compared to 30 classroom control children on a range of parenting and family functioning measures. Results showed that poor parent coping and the use of aggressive discipline methods were significantly associated with hyperactivity after adjusting for the effects of conduct disorder and parent mental health. The best parenting predictor of hyperactivity was disciplinary aggression. Findings suggest that the quality of parenting provided for hyperactive children may contribute to their behavioural difficulties, and highlights the need to examine more closely the role of parenting attitudes and behaviour in shaping the course, prognosis, and treatment outcomes for children with hyperactivity."
Lianne Woodward, Eric Taylor & Linda Dowdney
This study examined the parenting and family life correlates of childhood hyperactivity in a community sample of London school children. Twenty-eight boys with pervasive hyperactivity were compared to 30 classroom control children on a range of parenting and family functioning measures. Results showed that poor parent coping and the use of aggressive discipline methods were significantly associated with hyperactivity after adjusting for the effects of conduct disorder and parent mental health. The best parenting predictor of hyperactivity was disciplinary aggression. Findings suggest that the quality of parenting provided for hyperactive children may contribute to their behavioural difficulties, and highlights the need to examine more closely the role of parenting attitudes and behaviour in shaping the course, prognosis, and treatment outcomes for children with hyperactivity."
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
On abortion, court finds middle ground
csmonitor.com
"In a surprising compromise move supported by all nine justices, the high court on Wednesday avoided ruling on the merits of upholding or striking down a New Hampshire law that requires a teen to inform a parent before obtaining an abortion.
Instead, the justices sent the case back to the lower court to reconsider whether it was appropriate for it to strike down as unconstitutional the entire parental notification law, or whether only part of the law should be enjoined.
The 10-page decision was announced by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has been the high-court architect of the constitutional provisions at the center of the case."
...
"In a surprising compromise move supported by all nine justices, the high court on Wednesday avoided ruling on the merits of upholding or striking down a New Hampshire law that requires a teen to inform a parent before obtaining an abortion.
Instead, the justices sent the case back to the lower court to reconsider whether it was appropriate for it to strike down as unconstitutional the entire parental notification law, or whether only part of the law should be enjoined.
The 10-page decision was announced by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has been the high-court architect of the constitutional provisions at the center of the case."
...
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Methods for identifying pregnancy-associated deaths: population-based data from Finland 1987–2000
Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol
To find maternal and pregnancy-related deaths, it is important that all pregnancy-associated deaths are identified. This article examines the effect of data linkages between national health care registers and complete death certificate data on pregnancy-associated deaths. All deaths among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in Finland during the period 1987–2000 (n = 15 823) were identified from the Cause-of-Death Register and linked to the Medical Birth Register (n = 865 988 births), the Register on Induced Abortions (n = 156 789 induced abortions), and the Hospital Discharge Register (n = 118 490 spontaneous abortions) to determine whether women had been pregnant within 1 year before death. The death certificates of the 419 women thus identified were reviewed to find whether the pregnancy or its termination was coded or mentioned. In total, 405 deaths (96.7%) were identified in registers other than the Cause-of-Death Register. Without data linkages, 73% of all pregnancy-associated deaths would have been missed; the percentage after induced and spontaneous abortions was even higher. Data linkages to national health care registers provide better information on maternal deaths and pregnancy-associated deaths than death certificates alone. If possible, pregnancies not ending in a live birth should be included in the data linkages.
To find maternal and pregnancy-related deaths, it is important that all pregnancy-associated deaths are identified. This article examines the effect of data linkages between national health care registers and complete death certificate data on pregnancy-associated deaths. All deaths among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in Finland during the period 1987–2000 (n = 15 823) were identified from the Cause-of-Death Register and linked to the Medical Birth Register (n = 865 988 births), the Register on Induced Abortions (n = 156 789 induced abortions), and the Hospital Discharge Register (n = 118 490 spontaneous abortions) to determine whether women had been pregnant within 1 year before death. The death certificates of the 419 women thus identified were reviewed to find whether the pregnancy or its termination was coded or mentioned. In total, 405 deaths (96.7%) were identified in registers other than the Cause-of-Death Register. Without data linkages, 73% of all pregnancy-associated deaths would have been missed; the percentage after induced and spontaneous abortions was even higher. Data linkages to national health care registers provide better information on maternal deaths and pregnancy-associated deaths than death certificates alone. If possible, pregnancies not ending in a live birth should be included in the data linkages.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
India's 'girl deficit' deepest among educated
csmonitor.com
By Scott Baldauf
Study: Selective-sex abortion claims 500,000 girls a year.
NEW DELHI - Banned by Indian law for more than a decade, the practice of prenatal selection and selective abortion remains a common practice in India, claiming up to half a million female children each year, according to a recent study by the British medical journal, The Lancet.
The use of ultrasound equipment to determine the sex of an unborn child - introduced to India in 1979 - has now spread to every district in the country. The study found it played a crucial role in thetermination of an estimated 10 million female fetuses in the two decades leading up to 1998, and 5 million since 1994, the year the practice was banned. Few doctors in regular clinics offer the service openly, but activists estimate that sex-selection is a $100 million business in India, largely through mobile sex-selection clinics that can drive into almost any village or neighborhood.
The practice is common among all religious groups - Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Muslims, and Christians - but appears to be most common among educated women, a fact that befuddles public health officials and women's rights activists alike.
"More educated women have more access to technology, they are more privileged, and most educated families have the least number of children," says Sabu George, a researcher with the Center for Women's Development Studies in New Delhi, who did not participate in the study. "This is not just India. Everywhere in the world, smaller families come at the expense of girls."
Like China, India has encouraged smaller families through a mixture of financial incentives and campaigns calling for two children at most. Faced with such pressure, many families, rich and poor alike, are turning to prenatal selection to ensure that they receive a son. It's a problem with many potential causes - from social traditions to the economic burden of dowries - but one that could have strong social repercussions for generations to come.
The Lancet survey, conducted by Prabhat Jha of St. Michael's Hospital at the University of Toronto and Rajesh Kumar of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Research in Chandigarh, India, looked at government data collected from a 1998 sample of Indian families in all the districts of the country. From this data, they concluded that 1 out of every 25 female fetuses is aborted, roughly 500,000 per year.
Many doctors, including the Indian Medical Association, dispute the findings of the report, saying that the number of female feticides is closer to 250,000 per year. They note that the data sample used by The Lancet study precedes a 2001 Supreme Court decision outlawing the use of ultrasounds to check for girls. But activists note that the law is largely unenforced.
"If there were half a million feticides a year," S.C. Gulati of the Delhi Institute of Economic Growth told the Indian news channel IBN, "the sex ratio would have been very skewed indeed."
Yet the sex ratio is skewed. According to the official Indian Census of 2001, there were 927 girl babies for every 1,000 boy babies, nationwide. The problem is worst in the northwestern states of Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, and Gujarat, where the ratio is less than 900 girls for every 1,000 boys.
...
By Scott Baldauf
Study: Selective-sex abortion claims 500,000 girls a year.
NEW DELHI - Banned by Indian law for more than a decade, the practice of prenatal selection and selective abortion remains a common practice in India, claiming up to half a million female children each year, according to a recent study by the British medical journal, The Lancet.
The use of ultrasound equipment to determine the sex of an unborn child - introduced to India in 1979 - has now spread to every district in the country. The study found it played a crucial role in thetermination of an estimated 10 million female fetuses in the two decades leading up to 1998, and 5 million since 1994, the year the practice was banned. Few doctors in regular clinics offer the service openly, but activists estimate that sex-selection is a $100 million business in India, largely through mobile sex-selection clinics that can drive into almost any village or neighborhood.
The practice is common among all religious groups - Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Muslims, and Christians - but appears to be most common among educated women, a fact that befuddles public health officials and women's rights activists alike.
"More educated women have more access to technology, they are more privileged, and most educated families have the least number of children," says Sabu George, a researcher with the Center for Women's Development Studies in New Delhi, who did not participate in the study. "This is not just India. Everywhere in the world, smaller families come at the expense of girls."
Like China, India has encouraged smaller families through a mixture of financial incentives and campaigns calling for two children at most. Faced with such pressure, many families, rich and poor alike, are turning to prenatal selection to ensure that they receive a son. It's a problem with many potential causes - from social traditions to the economic burden of dowries - but one that could have strong social repercussions for generations to come.
The Lancet survey, conducted by Prabhat Jha of St. Michael's Hospital at the University of Toronto and Rajesh Kumar of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Research in Chandigarh, India, looked at government data collected from a 1998 sample of Indian families in all the districts of the country. From this data, they concluded that 1 out of every 25 female fetuses is aborted, roughly 500,000 per year.
Many doctors, including the Indian Medical Association, dispute the findings of the report, saying that the number of female feticides is closer to 250,000 per year. They note that the data sample used by The Lancet study precedes a 2001 Supreme Court decision outlawing the use of ultrasounds to check for girls. But activists note that the law is largely unenforced.
"If there were half a million feticides a year," S.C. Gulati of the Delhi Institute of Economic Growth told the Indian news channel IBN, "the sex ratio would have been very skewed indeed."
Yet the sex ratio is skewed. According to the official Indian Census of 2001, there were 927 girl babies for every 1,000 boy babies, nationwide. The problem is worst in the northwestern states of Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, and Gujarat, where the ratio is less than 900 girls for every 1,000 boys.
...
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
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