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'New And Improved Antiabortion Movement' Still Ignores Needs Of Women, Salon Opinion Piece States
A "new set of antiabortion actors" who are "anti-war, anti-capital punishment, pro-environment "pro-lifers"" have "emerged as the face of a new and improved antiabortion movement," Salon columnist Frances Kissling writes. Although these advocates supported President Obama in the 2008 election, they "suffer from the same lack of understanding of women"s nature and identity as do old-line anti-abortionists," Kissling writes. She notes that this group has "already decided that a political effort to make abortion illegal is hopeless, which helps the pro-choice cause." According to Kissling, "Taking legality off the table" increases the prospects for "rational public discourse about all the factors at play in women"s decisions not to continue pregnancy and not to become mothers," but "[w]e are ... far from common ground between the new anti-abortionists and the pro-choice advocates."Members of this new group believe that data suggesting that many women decide to have abortions for financial reasons prove that "better economic support" for pregnant women "will result in more continued pregnancies and more women embracing motherhood," Kissling writes. In addition, they "assert that if adoption policies were friendlier," more women would choose adoption over abortion, according to Kissling. "But facts have little place in their strategy," as the policies they support "are already in place in much of Europe," and "few women who face unintended pregnancies in those countries opt out of abortion," Kissling writes. She adds, "Something much deeper influences a woman"s decision about what to do when she is pregnant and does not want to become a mother -- and the new anti-choicers don"t seem to have a clue about what this might be." For this group, "the outcome [of pregnancy] -- the new person -- is obviously so much more valuable than whatever short-term loss or pain the women might experience," Kissling writes. Therefore, they believe it is "not asking much of a woman who faces an unwanted, difficult or unintended pregnancy to shift the plan she had for this time in her life and continue the pregnancy," according to Kissling.Kissling lists four "positions taken by the new antiabortionists [that] illuminate this flawed thinking." The first is "[d]enying the "need" for abortion," she writes. Secondly, their "same sense of pregnancy as no big deal influences the new antiabortionists" unwillingness to embrace contraception," Kissling says. She adds that "[i]f we really understood what it meant for women to consent to becoming mothers, we would want them to be able to meet their moral obligation to their own identity by avoiding becoming pregnant." The third position is an attempt to make "sex sacred," Kissling writes, adding that if "creating new life is sacred, then we want men and women to have the tools necessary to fulfill the obligation to create life responsibly and not create it when they cannot -- or choose not to -- bring it to fruition." The fourth position is "[r]edefining adoption," Kissling continues. She asks whether adoption is "now a process of finding children for needy parents," adding, "Might it not be more generous of us as a society to work harder to make it possible for women to keep their children if they so wish?"Kissling writes that the "challenge to the new antiabortionists" is whether "women"s perspectives on the meaning of pregnancy and motherhood will be considered in their project" or if "their ethical frame will remain focused on the fetus." She asks, "How many of these women"s decisions will the new antiabortionists be able to say "yes" to?" Kissling concludes, "So far it seems that it is far more than abortion that is a stumbling block to common ground" (Kissling, Salon, 7/20).
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Online Obituaries Are Changing The Way We Publicly Remember The Dead And How Newspapers Cover Deaths
The ways we deal with death are finding a new life online, according to research being published by a Kansas State University journalism professor and her colleague.
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Sanofi Pasteur Responds To Nation's Need For Hib Vaccine With Increased Supply
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced that the company has been able to increase the supply of its Hib-containing vaccines to enable the return to a full series of vaccinations for U.S. children. Based on the increased supply, on July 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will reinstate its recommendation that children receive a booster dose of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine after 12 months of age. The CDC also provided guidance on a phased approach to immunize children whose booster dose was previously deferred at their next regularly scheduled medical visit. The CDC had recommended a temporary deferral of the booster dose of Hib vaccine in 2007 due to supply constraints caused by another manufacturer"s withdrawal of Hib vaccine from the market. Since that time, Sanofi Pasteur has been, and continues to be, the sole supplier of Hib vaccine to the U.S. market.
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Improve Communication With Your Healthcare Practitioner With The AGS Foundation For Health In Aging's New Health Tip Sheet

Good communication between patients and their healthcare practitioners is essential to good care. To help older adults better communicate with their healthcare providers, the American Geriatrics Society"s Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) has released a new, easily understandable tip sheet for older people and their caregivers. The tip sheet, "How to Talk to Your Healthcare Practitioner: Tips on Improving Patient-Practitioner Communication" outlines steps older adults and their caregivers can take before, during, and after a visit to a practitioner. These steps help ensure that practitioners, older patients and their caregivers get the information they need. Before visiting a healthcare provider, the tip sheet advises older people to, among other things, make a list of any current symptoms or health problems they have, as well as past health problems, any treatments they"ve undergone, and any adverse reactions to treatments they have had. It also encourages older adults to put the medications, supplements and other remedies they"re taking in a bag and bring it to their appointment. That way their practitioner can see what they"re taking and at what doses - important information, since medications may interact and some may affect medical test results. The tip sheet also advises older adults who don"t speak English as a first language to consider looking for a practitioner who speaks their native tongue, bring along a bilingual buddy to translate, or call the office and request a translator ahead of time. During a visit, the tip sheet encourages older patients and their caregivers to answer all questions frankly, to request explanations when needed, and to ask follow-up questions, such as, "Are there any risks associated with this treatment?" and "Are there any alternative treatments?" It also suggests that patients and caregivers repeat back what their providers tell them about their health and treatments to ensure that they"ve understood correctly. After an appointment, the tip sheet advises older patients to contact their practitioner"s office if they don"t feel better, if they have an adverse reaction to a medication or other treatment, or if they realize they"ve forgotten to mention something important that"s relevant to their health. Other easy-to-read health tip sheets for older adults and their caregivers in the popular FHA series cover such topics as cold and immunizations, falls prevention, emergency planning, safe sex, and joint replacement surgery for older people. About the FHA In 1999, the American Geriatrics Society reached beyond its traditional role as a professional medical society and launched the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA). The FHA aims to build a bridge between geriatrics health care professionals and the public, and advocate on behalf of older adults and their special needs: wellness and preventive care, self-responsibility and independence, and connections to family and community. The FHA champions initiatives in public education, clinical research, and public policy that advance the principles and practice of geriatrics medicine; educate policy makers and the public on the health care needs and concerns of older adults; support aging research that reduces disability and frailty, and improves quality of life and health outcomes; encourage older adults to be effective advocates for their own health care; and help family members and caregivers take better care of their older loved ones and themselves. American Geriatrics Society


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