MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'eugenics'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:00:43 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159557&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F1059-Eugenics-past-and-present.html Eugenics is a movement of the early 20th century that tried to create a better human race by preventing the birth of those deemed "unfit."  Eugenics literally means "good birth" and it seeks to "improve" the human gene pool.  The eugenics movement of the early 20th century was championed by advocates and intellectuals like Margaret Sanger, H. G. Wells, Theodore Roosevelt, and George Bernard Shaw.  They believed that encouraging those with desirable traits to reproduce and preventing those with "undesirable" traits from having children was the key to making sure the human race was always improving.  Eugenics assumes that the individual is nothing more than what is encoded in their genes.  The American Eugenics movement resulte... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159557 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:25:13 +0100 5159557 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794903&cid=t_105219_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F06%2Fsituational-sources-of-the-holocaust%2F From the Harvard Gazette: The table slab was cold and hard beneath 6-year-old Irene Hizme as doctors and nurses took measurements and blood samples. She didn’t know what was happening to her, and by the time it was all over, she wouldn’t care. She was found lying nearly comatose on the ground by a woman who brought her home to begin her recovery. Though it’s routine for children to be examined by physicians, that was hardly the case here. Her doctor was Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi who conducted cruel experiments on inmates at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. Hizme, who survived both her imprisonment and Mengele’s experiments, told her story to a rapt audience at Harvard Medical School’s Joseph Martin Conference Center in the New Research Building on Apri... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794903 Fri, 06 May 2011 12:37:11 +0100 4794903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394530&cid=t_105219_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F24%2Feugenics-the-story-of-carrie-buck%2F Psychology has a fascinating and rich history, filled with amazing advances. But it wasn’t all progress. Psychology has a painful past — with many victims. One of the most devastating times in psychology was a movement called eugenics, a name coined by Sir Francis Galton in 1883. The goal of eugenics was to improve the genetic composition of the population: to encourage healthy, smart individuals to reproduce (called positive eugenics) and to discourage the poor, who were considered unintelligent and unfit, from reproducing (negative eugenics). One of the main methods to discourage reproduction was through sterilization. While it seems ludicrous now, many people, both abroad and in the U.S., agreed with the principles of eugenics. In fact, state governments soon started establishing st... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394530 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:52:48 +0100 4394530 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4331164&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F1000-Toddler-with-Rett-Syndrome-drowns-after-parents-ask-for-her-to-be-euthanized.html This story breaks my heart.  I spent many years sequencing the DNA of little girls looking for the mutations that cause Rett Syndrome.  A toddler with Rett Syndrome has drowned under suspicious circumstances after her parents asked if she could be euthanized.  From Australia's Herald Sun:A COUPLE was worried their disabled toddler was interfering with their "idyllic" lifestyle and investigated the possibility of euthanasing her shortly before the girl drowned in a backyard pool, a court was told yesterday.An inquest at Glebe Coroner's Court is investigating whether the two-year-old's drowning in a pool at her Northern Beaches home was the result of a "deliberate act" or a tragic accident.The inquest heard the girl's parents, who cannot be named, described themselves ... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331164 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:30:43 +0100 4331164 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946456&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=39260&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvaccineblogs.com%2Fblog-the-dark-side-of-genetics%2F When the topic of Eugenics is discussed I’m often met with the commentary, “That’s what Hitler was using for building the master race, Jeff.” It has been suggested to me by a majority of people that eugenics was a program for making improvements to humankind – not the other way around. What is little known by many is the word Genetics spawned from Eugenics after Hitler embarrassed the movement with the atrocities of the Nazi death camps. American institutions rushed to change their name almost overnight. Literature was rewritten. History erased. Guess what? Hitler didn’t just hatch his ideas in just any nest you know. He just copied what was being done in America already. We need to take a step in time back to the early 1900′s. Coincidentally, Alex... Vaccine Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946456 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:41:05 +0100 3946456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946457&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=39260&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvaccineblogs.com%2Fquote-three-generations-of-imbeciles-are-enough%2F A famous decision made by the “Honorable” Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said: It is better for all the world, if instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crime, or to let them starve for their imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind. The principle that sustains compulsory vaccination is broad enough to cover cutting the Fallopian tubes. Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 , 25 S. Ct. 358, 3 Ann. Cas. 765. Three generations of imbeciles are enough. [274 U.S. 200, 208]   Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Jeffry John Aufderheide (Source: Vaccine Blogs) Vaccine Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946457 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:04:11 +0100 3946457 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946458&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=39260&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvaccineblogs.com%2Fvideo-edwin-black-on-eugenics%2F (Source: Vaccine Blogs) Vaccine Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946458 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 03:28:10 +0100 3946458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946470&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=39261&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvactruth.com%2F2010%2F08%2F18%2Frockefeller-vaccine-secret-revealed%2F Discussions Presented at the Third International Poliomyelitis Conference: Developments in Tissue Culture., (pp. 221). Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company. [18] Brown, R., et. al. The Mass Production and Distribution of HeLa Cells at Tuskegee Institute, 1953–55. J Hist Med Allied Sci.1983; 38: 415-431. [19] Nelson-Rees, W.A. Responsibility for truth in research. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2001 June 29; 356(1410): 849–851. [20] Paul, J. (1974). A Biographical Memoir: Thomas Francis, Jr. – 1900-1969 (pp. 79). Washington D.C.: National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved August 17th, 2010 from http://books.nap.edu/html/biomems/tfrancis.pdf Henry Kumm [21] Snowden, F.M. (2006). The Conquest of Malaria: Italy, 1900-1962, (pp. 200). Frederick W. Hilles Publication Fund of Yale Un... vactruth.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946470 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:04:52 +0100 3946470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3701781&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F971-Girls-with-Cystic-Fibrosis-Sing-on-Americas-Got-Talent.html I know a lot about the genetics of cystic fibrosis also known as CF.  I have tested thousands of people for mutations in the CFTR gene that cause this debilitating lung disease.  The majority of people that I have tested were pregnant women.   I know some of those babies that were found to have CF (upon further testing) probably did not make it out of the womb.  Like with Down Syndrome, there is a systematic assault on fetuses with CF.  I have heard first hand accounts of women who were pressured to abort their CF baby and made to feel like they were terrible mothers if they didn't.  This is truly a shame because, as I also know first hand, there are people walking around who genetically have CF, but are healthy.  Some have CF and do not even know it.  Even if they are not healthy,... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3701781 Sat, 26 Jun 2010 06:57:16 +0100 3701781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3235913&cid=t_105219_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F02%2Fthe-constructed-situation-of-race%2F Christian Sundquist’s interesting article,  “The Meaning of Race in the DNA Era: Science, History and the Law” (27 Temple Journal of Science, Technology & Environmental Law 231-265 (2008)) is now available on SSRN. Here’s the abstract. * * * The meaning of “race” has changed dramatically over time. Early theories of race assigned social, intellectual, moral and physical values to perceived physical differences among groups of people. The perception that race should be defined in terms of genetic and biologic difference fueled the “race science” of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries, during which time geneticists, physiognomists, eugenicists, anthropologists and others purported to find scientific justification for denying equal treatment to non-whi... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3235913 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:28:50 +0100 3235913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3208592&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F930-Republican-Eugenics.html No one is immune to the lure of eugenics.  Since eugenics was a progressive movement, Republicans should know better.  But not all do as Joe Carter from First Things Blog points out:For example, [Republican] South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer thinks that giving poor people food will cause them to breed like rabbits:My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals,” Bauer told a Greenville-area crowd. “You know why? Because they breed. “You’re facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don’t think too much further than that. And so what you’ve got to do is you’ve got to curtail that type of behavior. They don’t know any better.Although he says... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3208592 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:31:17 +0100 3208592 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2702456&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F862-Caplan-Health-care-debate-turns-vile-with-Nazi-analogy.html Arthur Caplan has a piece at MSNBC.com that accuses right-wingers of cheapening the Holocaust by comparing Obama's health care plan to Nazi Germany.  Caplan says that the horrors of Nazi Germany were the product of racism and eugenics masquerading as science:Contrary to what Limbaugh and other Holocaust deniers would have you believe, German medicine and science were not brought into the Nazi party once Hitler took power. They fueled the fire for what became Nazism with bigotry proffered as science.What distinguished the doctors and scientists of Germany pre-Hitler was that so many of them were firm believers in racial hygiene — the view that the Aryan race’s very existence was threatened by inferior peoples such as Jews, blacks and Slavs. They felt the only way to protect their "r... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2702456 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:40:47 +0100 2702456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2695547&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F860-Science-Czar-John-Holdren-and-eugenicist-Harrison-Brown.html President Obama has appointed John P. Holdren as his "science Czar."  Holdren is the co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology or PCAST that met last week for their first meeting.  This expose, brought to my attention by Michelle Malkin, goes in depth into Holdren's infatuation with the known eugenicist Harrison Brown.  In a speech as recent as 2007, Holdren has held up Harrison Brown as his mentor and a source of inspiration.  In 1986, Holdren edited and co-wrote a book honoring Harrison Brown titled Earth and the Human Future: Essays in Honor of Harrison Brown in which Holdren writes:"Harrison Brown's most remarkable book, The Challenge of Man's Future, was published more than three decades ago. By the time I read it as a high school stu... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2695547 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:12:45 +0100 2695547 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2691705&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F858-Down-Syndrome-Man-starved-to-death-in-British-hospital.html This story was from a few months ago, but has new meaning in light of todays debates about health care reform in the United States.  Martin Ryan, a man with Down Syndrome, was allowed to starve to death in a British hospital.  From The Guardian:In November 2005 he suffered a stroke at a residential home where he had been living happily with carers in Richmond, south-west London. He was transferred to a general ward at Kingston hospital.Doctors and nurses should have been immediately concerned about nutrition for a patient who could not swallow as a result of the stroke. He could not talk, but speech therapists and community nurses tried to intervene on his behalf.The ombudsmen said: "They could not make themselves heard and nothing happened to help Mr Ryan. Nobody took any action to... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2691705 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:38:49 +0100 2691705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556289&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F844-Getting-close-to-the-eugenics-flame....html From Chuck Asay (Source: Mary Meets Dolly) Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556289 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:53:47 +0100 2556289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442268&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F813-Does-the-government-have-your-childs-DNA.html healthofchildren.comI hate to be so sensational, but I think it is important for parents to understand that your child's DNA maybe stored in a state government facility and you have no idea.  Impossible you say? You know that heel stick that your child got in the hospital right after birth?  Some states keep and catalog that blood for use in further research and some envision a time when a whole genome scan is performed on that sample.  There are real concerns that the information provided by that seemingly innocuous heel stick could be used to usher in a new era of eugenics.Now I am NOT saying that the newborn testing programs that screen newborns for as many as 76 genetic conditions is evil.  I think these newborn screening programs are important to the health of American children. ... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442268 Fri, 29 May 2009 15:59:55 +0100 2442268 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441268&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F05%2Fpersona-non-grata-people-may-hold-key.html Well this is ironic: People with Down syndrome--against whom a concerted pogrom is being waged to wipe off the face of the earth via genetic testing and eugenic abortion or infanticide--may hold the key to an effective treatment for cancer. From the story: Scientists may have solved the mystery of why people with Down's syndrome seem to have a lower risk of some cancers.The extra copy of chromosome 21 which causes Down's appears to contain a gene that protects from solid cancerous tumours, tests on mice suggest. The gene seems to interfere with signals a tumour relies on to grow. The finding raises hope of new ways to prevent and treat cancer.At least some catch an important ancillary point to this story: Writing in the journal, the researchers, led by Dr Sandra Ryeom, said: "It is, perhap... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441268 Sun, 24 May 2009 06:24:00 +0100 2441268 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347917&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F04%2Fgene-complexity-makes-disease.html A new report shows that predicting for health outcomes and creating genetic fixes for common diseases is very difficult. From the story:The era of personal genomic medicine may have to wait. The genetic analysis of common disease is turning out to be a lot more complex than expected.Since the human genome was decoded in 2003, researchers have been developing a powerful method for comparing the genomes of patients and healthy people, with the hope of pinpointing the DNA changes responsible for common diseases. This method, called a genomewide association study, has proved technically successful despite many skeptics' initial doubts. But it has been disappointing in that the kind of genetic variation it detects has turned out to explain surprisingly little of the genetic links to most diseas... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347917 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:55:00 +0100 2347917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2249065&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F03%2Fpusing-eugenics-as-smart-science.html Bioethicist Jacob M. Appel, who has written that mentally ill people should not be denied the "opportunities" to commit assisted suicide, now pushes mandatory pre-implatation genetic testing in all IVF fertility treatments in order to weed out the unfit (my term) and for whom care would be expensive. But don't call it eugenics! From his column:The most obvious advantage of mandatory screening is that it will reduce the long-term suffering of the children who are spared disease. At the same time, preventing future cancers will certainly save tax dollars. These savings could be redirected toward researching new therapies and providing quality care for current patients. The money might also help to defer the enormous public costs of fertility therapy, coverage for which a growing number of st... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2249065 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:00:00 +0100 2249065 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2240585&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F03%2Fpusing-eugenics-as-smart-science.html Bioethicist Jacob M. Appel, who has written that mentally ill people should not be denied the "opportunities" to commit assisted suicide, now pushes mandatory pre-implatation genetic testing in all IVF fertility treatments in order to weed out the unfit (my term) and for whom care would be expensive. But don't call it eugenics! From his column:The most obvious advantage of mandatory screening is that it will reduce the long-term suffering of the children who are spared disease. At the same time, preventing future cancers will certainly save tax dollars. These savings could be redirected toward researching new therapies and providing quality care for current patients. The money might also help to defer the enormous public costs of fertility therapy, coverage for which a growing number of st... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2240585 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:00:00 +0100 2240585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2150741&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F02%2Fradical-environmentalism-moving-us.html China's notorious one child policy has led to eugenics, sex selection abortion, female infanticide, and other horrors. Now, we are being pushed in that same direction in the West by radical environmentalists in the name of going Green. From the story:COUPLES who have more than two children are being "irresponsible" by creating an unbearable burden on the environment, the government's green adviser has warned. Jonathon Porritt, who chairs the government's Sustainable Development Commission, says curbing population growth through contraception and abortion must be at the heart of policies to fight global warming. He says political leaders and green campaigners should stop dodging the issue of environmental harm caused by an expanding population...A report by the commission, to be published n... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2150741 Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:15:00 +0100 2150741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2131265&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F01%2Fcoming-soon-war-against-weak.html The book War Against the Weak is the best history of the eugenics movement ever written. (Here is my take that appeared in National Review.) Now, there is a new documentary about to be released--War Against the Weak--The Movie. (Hit this link to see a trailerFor SHSers in Southern California, it will premier today at the Santa Barbara Film Festival: WORLD PREMIERE Saturday, January 24th, 4:00pm Santa Barbara Museum of Art * 1130 State St, Santa Barbara, CA(805) 963-4364.Monday, January 26th, 4:45pm Metro 4 Theatre * 618 State St, Santa Barbara, CA‎ - (805) 963-9503I haven't previewed the film, but it looks like good stuff. (Source: Secondhand Smoke) Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2131265 Sat, 24 Jan 2009 20:15:00 +0100 2131265 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2128971&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F719-War-Against-the-Weak.html A reader of this blog has told me that a movie about eugenics is opening at the 24th annual Santa Barbara Independent Film Festival.  The movie is called "War Against the Weak" based on the Edwin Black book of the same name: How American corporate philanthropies launched a national campaign of ethnic cleansing in the United States, helped found and fund the Nazi eugenics of Hitler and Mengele — and then created the modern movement of "human genetics."In the first three decades of the 20th Century, American corporate philanthropy combined with prestigious academic fraud to create the pseudoscience eugenics that institutionalized race politics as national policy. The goal: create a superior, white, Nordic race and obliterate the viability of everyone else.How? By identi... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2128971 Sat, 24 Jan 2009 01:03:06 +0100 2128971 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2110671&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F716-Saletan-Eugenic-Euphemisms-and-ugly-truths.html Thank-you William Saletan!  I have hope for humanity after reading his piece "Eugenic Euphemisms: Protecting our children from diseases—and ugly truths."  He could not be more right on about preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).  From the redefinition of scientific terminology to the "duty" for parents to have genetically healthy children, all of his points hit the bulls-eye.  Here is my favorite:"First baby tested for breast cancer form BRCA1 before conception born in UK," says the press release from University College London. "The first baby tested preconceptionally for a genetic form of breast cancer (BRCA1) "preconceptions"has been born." The release quotes Paul Serhal, medical director of the hospital's Assisted Conception Unit... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2110671 Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:17:42 +0100 2110671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2104383&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F01%2Fgenetic-cleansing-and-corruption-of.html Slate's Will Saletan--a favorite of mine even though we often disagree because he is a very good writer and unfailingly honest in his reportage--is onto the story of the baby girl born in the UK who was selected in--as her siblings were destroyed--because she did not have a gene that can cause adult onset breast cancer. From his column "Eugenics Euphemisms:" It's happy news. But let's take a closer look at the announcement, starting with the test "before conception." This baby was tested as an embryo in a dish. She was one of 11 such embryos made by injecting drugs in the mother to stimulate production of excess eggs, which were then fertilized with the father's sperm. Six of the embryos had the gene for breast cancer. Three more had "other abnormalities." All nine were "discarded." The ot... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2104383 Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:16:00 +0100 2104383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2097929&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F714-Procreative-Beneficence-Why-We-Should-Select-the-Best-Children.html The worst evils in history are those that clothe themselves in compassion.  The wolf in sheep's clothing.  "Procreative Benefience" is one of these very palatable evils.  I know Julian Savulescu's paper "Procreative Beneficence: Why We Should Select the Best Children" was published way back in 2002 in Bioethics, but I have been seeing him quoted more and more lately.As with many issues in bioethics, Catholics need to be ahead of the curve on this rhetoric.  "Procreative Beneficence" is by no means a new idea, but Savulesc gives it a shiny new, woolly coat that masks the wolf underneath.  What is "Procreative Beneficence" you might ask?  I will let Savulesc tell you in his own words:Eugenic selection of embryos is now possible by employing in vi... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2097929 Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:13:28 +0100 2097929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1998843&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F11%2Fbrave-new-parenting-using-genetics-to.html It used to be that the parental ideal was to expose one's children to many and varied activities so that they could discover for themselves the avocations and activities that most suited them. But apparently that's too messy and time consuming for some. A company is now offering to test children's genes to determine which sport they will be best at so that parents can cut through the dross and put them directly in that activity. From the story:When Donna Campiglia learned recently that a genetic test might be able to determine which sports suit the talents of her 2 ½-year-old son, Noah, she instantly said, Where can I get it and how much does it cost?"I could see how some people might think the test would pigeonhole your child into doing fewer sports or being exposed to fewer things, but ... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1998843 Sun, 30 Nov 2008 05:59:00 +0100 1998843 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1990547&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F11%2Filliberalism-of-lefts-eugenics.html I am a man with deep connections to the political left, for example, writing four books with Ralph Nader. But those Movement (not Nader) ties frayed and then snapped, first due to the Left's embrace (before the disability rights movement engaged the issue) of assisted suicide, reinforced subsequently by its (general) support for eugenics ideas and disdain for what I now call human exceptionalism.These prejudices have infected the health care and governmental systems in the West, as we have discussed here repeatedly, a point also made in a column published in the very left wing UK newspaper The Independent by a columnist who tends to push against the leftist tide. In "Shame on the doctors prejudiced against Down Syndrome,"Dominic Lawson writes: For make no mistake: despite all the progress ... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1990547 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:33:00 +0100 1990547 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1990905&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Frejecting-eugenics.html After prenatal screening for Down's syndrome and other genetic conditions became a routine practice, abortion statistics in some countries showed termination rates as high as 90% or more after a positive test result. Many people assumed that such children would be doomed to endure a life of tragic suffering and that abortion was therefore a compassionate choice.Advocates sought to change this perception by showing the positive aspects of their families' lives and working for full social and educational inclusion. They believed that, as with other minority groups, integration would lead to greater understanding and acceptance.A recent study in the UK, conducted by the Down's Syndrome Association, indicates that this approach has been effective in changing public views:The number of babies i... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1990905 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:51:00 +0100 1990905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975164&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F707-Modern-eugenics-and-genetic-sins.html Bill Muehlenberg has written a tremendous piece at Mercatonet.com called "Towards a coercive utopia" where he argues against modern eugenics that uses genetic testing in the worst way possible: to discard humans that are "genetic defective."  The whole piece is an amazing read, but I would like to point out a couple of important points.  Muehlenberg quotes Julian Savulescu, a bioethicist who argues for using genetic testing along with IVF to create the "most genetically fit" children.  Savulescu wrote:The AU$3,440 test, called karyomapping, which should be available as early as next year, will allow couples at risk of passing on gene defects to conceive healthy children using IVF treatment. [My emphasis]This statement is such a subtle slight of hand, that e... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975164 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:29:14 +0100 1975164 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1963874&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F11%2Fchina-orders-forced-abortion-of-viable.html China is a true tyranny. And now, it has ordered a Muslim woman to abort her viable fetus or face the loss of her home. From the story: Chinese authorities have ordered Arzigul Tursun, who is 26 weeks pregnant, to abort her unborn child because she has two other children. She is under watch at the Municipal Watergate Hospital in Yining in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, which is populated heavily with Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority. Supporters are concerned a forced abortion at such a late stage could threaten Arzigul's health.According to the Washington-based Uyghur Human Rights Project, Arzigul and her husband, Nurmemet, fled their village when she became pregnant, but returned after officials warned their house and property would be seized if Arzigul did not have an abortion... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1963874 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:36:00 +0100 1963874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1833201&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34925&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbestyoucanbe.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fcontrolling-nerve-cell-connectivity.html A day or two ago my post on Fragile X and autism research included a discussion of a general theme in current autism research ...... Bear and other scientists have also identified several drugs that seem to correct the problem. The drugs don't replace the missing brakes in the brain. Instead, they limit acceleration by reducing the activity of a group of receptors on brain cells known as mGluR5 receptors.The drugs have reversed most of the effects of Fragile X in mice. They are now being tried in humans. And at least one small study found that a single dose of a drug had an effect....The idea is that neuronal connectivity is a delicate, dynamic, balance. Too much connectivity, or too little, can both prevent cognition from working correctly.So now there's research on modulating neuronal in... Be the Best You can Be blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1833201 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:31:00 +0100 1833201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1809782&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D4504 Male, HLA A12, 24, B13, 33, DR 52 seeks HLA Class I & II disparate Female for long term relationship. Must also be HLA B 27 and HLA B 1502 negative. Sounds crazy? Well, Wired reports that there is indeed a potential market for those Looking For Love with the right Alleles Swiss startup company GenePartner is offering to evaluate singles and couples according to the potential union of their HLA genes, which help regulate immune response. People may naturally be attracted to mates with HLA profiles different from their own, ostensibly guaranteeing the hybrid vigor of their offspring’s immune systems — and also providing a spark that will last through good times and bad. “Proper age, similar life goals and ideas, education levels — all of these things have to fit... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1809782 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1809782 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1802611&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F09%2Fugly-discriminatory-face-of-medical.html This story out of the UK illustrates the ugliness of medical futility. Under the theory, medicine is being devolved from a life-saving enterprise to a life-saving enterprise if we approve of your life's quality. But if we don't and you want to live (or your family wishes you to continue on)--then medicine becomes the decider that it is your time to die. From the story: A couple fighting for their daughter's right to live were yesterday celebrating her return home from hospital.Amber Hartland, six, suffers from Infantile Tay-Sachs, a rare incurable brain disorder that has left her paralysed. She is back with her family after being treated in hospital for a chest infection. Doctors say it is time for Amber to die and are taking legal action to stop her going to intensive care again. Mr Har... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1802611 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:12:00 +0100 1802611 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1798018&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F09%2Fattempt-to-id-babies-with-down-for.html According to a UK study, the concerted drive to prenatally detect Down syndrome or other anomalies through genetic testing aimed at eugenic abortion is also causing the deaths of babies who have no disabling condition through miscarriage. From the story: Two healthy babies are miscarried for every three Down's Syndrome babies that are detected and prevented from being born, research has suggested...DSEI chief executive Frank Buckley and Professor Sue Buckley, who conducted their research using a database at London's Bart's Hospital, also point out that 95 per cent of women deemed to be high risk by the blood test will not be carrying a baby with the disorder, yet most go on to have the tests."The screening for Down's syndrome has consequences for every pregnant woman," they said. "You cann... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1798018 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 02:54:00 +0100 1798018 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1791570&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F09%2Ftriumphs-and-tribulations-of-rasing.html The Washington Post has a sobering front page story about what it is like to raise a Down child: Credit the selection of Sarah Palin as Vice Presidential candidate for the interest shown. I was heartened by some of what I read, and very much appalled. From the story:But the parents of children who have Down syndrome say that raising a child with a disability can also unlock profound and uplifting truths about themselves, their children and the value of life in ways that others could never see..."People keep asking me, 'So what do you think?' I keep saying, 'What is it exactly you want my opinion about?' '' Pedlikin said. "People are paying much more attention to us. . . . Before, kids would stare, but not adults. Everybody's curious: 'What's it like to have a kid with Down syndrome?' "For ... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1791570 Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:27:00 +0100 1791570 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1785806&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F09%2Fwhy-we-urgently-need-to-change-cultures.html This is an awful story, but I think it is relevant to the underlying cultural struggle about people with disabilities reflected in the brouhaha set off by the Palins' embrace of their son, Trig. In the UK, a mother is charged with murdering her 4-year-old daughter because she was "embarrassed" by the child's disability. From the story:Joanne Hill, 32, planned the murder after her husband refused to allow their daughter, Naomi, to be adopted, it was alleged. A jury heard how Mrs Hill struggled to cope caring for the youngster, who suffered with cerebral palsy. She wore callipers to help her walk and had poor hearing.Opening the case for the prosecution Michael Chambers QC told Chester Crown Court that Mrs Hill was "ashamed and embarrassed" of her daughter's condition and murdered her in a "... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1785806 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:22:00 +0100 1785806 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1773260&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fabortion-disability-rights-john-mccain.html Since John McCain's recent pick of a running mate, Sarah Palin, who holds very strong pro-life views and has an infant son with Down Syndrome, I've seen a few people in the autistic community arguing that the Republican ticket would be the best choice for us. A prenatal test for autism could be only a few years away, this argument goes, and the only way to save our people from eugenic extermination is to vote Republican so that McCain can appoint more conservatives to the Supreme Court and put the abortionists out of business before they start killing off autistic babies.Although this argument packs a strong emotional punch, it doesn't reflect what would actually happen under a Republican administration with a conservative Supreme Court. First of all, even if the court were to decide that ... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1773260 Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:05:00 +0100 1773260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1560613&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F07%2Fit-pays-to-be-eugenicist.html Big money is out there for the brightest minds to shove utilitarianism and the goal of human enhancement down our throats. Australian Professor Julian Savulescu (now in the UK)--who I have seen debate and believe me he is one scary cat--has just picked up an 800 thousand pound grant to begin a eugenics, er neuroethics, center at Oxford. From Bioedge's report: Professor Savulescu said: “Neuroscience studies the brain and mind, and thereby some of the most profound aspects of human existence. In the last decade, advances in imaging and manipulating the brain have raised ethical challenges, particularly about the moral limits of the use of such technology, leading to the new discipline of neuroethics.Professor Savulescu has become notorious for arguing that we should genetically enhance the... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1560613 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:05:00 +0100 1560613 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1460864&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F05%2Fdna-fingerprinting-identifies-viable_2914.html By Jennifer Lahl Has the era of high tech embryo profiling arrived? I have been following the recent study published in the journal Human Reproduction. Researchers have combined the technology that allows them to screen embryos at the blastocyst stage with the DNA fingerprinting and microarray analysis technology in order to identify the viable blastocysts transferred into the mother. The search for the best embryo has always been part of the IVF equation with all the quality controls put in place in the lab. So how is the research being conducted? “The researchers tested the DNA of early in vitro fertilization embryos before implanting them into the womb, and then compared the results with the DNA of the healthy babies that were born, and found a cluster of genes that could be used to e... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1460864 Wed, 21 May 2008 17:06:00 +0100 1460864 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1436743&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F05%2Fwhat-big-brained-folk-think-about.html Ryan T. Anderson has an interesting entry over at the First Things blog about an ethics conference he attended at Princeton. It makes for sobering reading. He begins with a quote from Princeton philosophy professor Elizabeth Harmon. From his column: "Look, when we think about ending an early human life, this is something that is really bad for the embryo or early fetus that dies, it's losing out tremendously--I agree with that as I already said...I think it's really dangerous to slide from noticing that something is bad for something, to thinking that that gives us a moral reason [not to do the bad thing]. And just to prove that that doesn't follow, think about plants. So lots of things are bad for trees, and plants, and flowers, and often that gives us no reasons whatsoever, certainly no ... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1436743 Mon, 12 May 2008 15:57:00 +0100 1436743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1411764&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35098&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclub166.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Feugenics-with-smile.html When I was younger, I used to wonder how people who lived in Germany let the Holocaust occur. Over the years, I have come to believe that it was a series of small steps which seemed somewhat reasonable at the time, combined with a sense of "that doesn't apply to me" when many things came up, and finally, a tendency to believe those in authority.Today I think I saw up close and personal how things like the Holocaust get started.Peter Singer gave a talk today on a local campus. His topic was "Medical Decisions in Life and Death". After watching him today, I don't think that the devil wears Prada. Instead, he wears a rumpled shirt, smiles, is generally pleasant, and advocates for things like puppy dogs and poor people, right before he tries to convince the audience that some people are more v... Club 166 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1411764 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:34:00 +0100 1411764 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1385836&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fpreserving-treasures.html In a vault dug into a mountainside on an Arctic island far north of mainland Norway, a collection of the world's seeds has been carefully preserved to ensure biodiversity in future years. The vault, maintained by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, is designed to protect the seeds from natural catastrophes.The greatest threat to the world's crops, however, is not a major volcanic eruption or an asteroid strike; rather, it is the routine practices of commercial agriculture. Today, most crops are grown from a tiny number of patented seed varieties, which have been designed not only for maximum yield, but also for such features as resistance to common herbicides and a long supermarket shelf life. As a result, large quantities of food can be produced much more efficiently than in the past, but ma... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1385836 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:04:00 +0100 1385836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1198716&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35128&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthiswayoflife.org%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D298 I’m not a curebie. I don’t want a cure for autism. I don’t want a cure for autism-light, or autism-heavy, or the kind that has whatever horrible symptom that a curebie would mention (and I’ll note that the “horrible symptoms” talked about by curebies usually have nothing to do with autism, but even if they did it would not be a reason to cure autism). That said, comparisons between autism curebies and Nazis wanting a “Final Solution” (what they called the mass extermination of many kinds of people, the majority of which were Jews) are a bit off-base. There’s a huge difference between wanting a cure for autism and wanting an autistic person dead. Sure, I don’t like either possibility, and certainly any “cure” that exist... NTs Are Weird blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1198716 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 04:20:14 +0100 1198716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1197405&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F02%2Fseriously-disabled-babies-are-not.html The new eugenics is growing at a horrifying pace. In the UK, a House of Lords, member argued that disabled children should be aborted for their own good. From the story:Seriously disabled children should be considered non-persons and would be better off having been aborted, according to a Peer speaking in the House of Lords Tuesday. Attempting to couch her assertion in terms of children's "rights",Molly Baroness Meacher told the Lords that children born with severe disabilities are "not viable people". The comments came as the Lords debated an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, put forward by Lady Swinton, Baroness Masham of Ilton, that would have protected unborn disabled children from abortion after the 24 week gestational time limit. The amendment was defeated by ... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1197405 Sat, 02 Feb 2008 22:29:00 +0100 1197405 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1179957&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fbigotry-on-parade.html If anyone still doubts that Autism Speaks' ultimate goal is eugenic extermination of the world's entire autistic population, more proof can be found in a Parade Magazine article written by Suzanne Wright, straight from the proverbial horse's mouth—or, perhaps, from another part of the horse's anatomy:parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_01-27-2008/Autism_Changes_EverythingIn a span of less than two years, Suzanne Wright's bigoted diatribes against autistic people have included promises to put us in the history books and exhortations to kick us to the curb. Oh, and she also claims that autistic children are "just not there" and can't be taken out to restaurants and movies. So I didn't find it at all surprising to see this unequivocal declaration of Autism Speaks' eugenic intentions i... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1179957 Sun, 27 Jan 2008 05:36:00 +0100 1179957 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1106275&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fransom-notes-and-autism-speaks-partners.html The Ransom Notes advertising campaign has Autism Speaks' dirty little fingerprints all over it. It's a direct follow-up from those Ad Council PSA commercials for Autism Speaks, also produced pro bono by the ad agency BBDO. If you live in the United States, you've probably seen those awful commercials that compare the odds of your child being autistic to being hit by lightning, killed in a car crash, or otherwise ending up dead. Autism Speaks seems to have quite a fixation with autistic children ending up dead, to judge from Alison Tepper Singer's infamous line in the Autism Every Day video about wanting to drive off a bridge with her autistic daughter, which was soon followed by a magazine interview with two Autism Speaks board members who hoped their autistic son would drown in their back... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1106275 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:34:00 +0100 1106275 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=970120&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Fautism-speaks-eugenic-agenda.html It's not really news that the ultimate goal of Autism Speaks is to wipe out the entire autistic population through prenatal testing and eugenic abortion. After all, one of their leading researchers, Dr. Joseph Buxbaum of the Autism Genome Project, frankly admitted as much in an interview almost three years ago, before NAAR merged into Autism Speaks.But for the most part, they've managed to put up a somewhat plausible pretense of being a mainstream charity that just wants to prevent suffering, and so forth. Most of the material on their website is carefully designed to keep the public unaware of their close ideological affinity with the white supremacist agenda of creating a master race through eugenics. A casual reader might not notice a page featuring the views of Dr. James Watson, with w... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=970120 Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:56:00 +0100 970120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=918034&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35128&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthiswayoflife.org%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D252 A man who is suspected of being a guard at a Nazi concentration camp has been found by US officials in Atlanta, GA. Despite the fact that the things he is accused of doing occurred 65 years ago, it’s still very important - vital in fact - that human rights abusers face justice. It’s not a matter of revenge or preventing them from harming others, neither of which is likely to be served by picking up senior citizen Nazis. Instead, it’s about justice - and respect for the millions who died because men like this man refused to stand up to a system, and, in fact, joined that system. It is for the victims, both living and dead, that we must seek justice. We must never forget. The consequences of forgetting this history, failing to seek justice…it’s something that mu... NTs Are Weird blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=918034 Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:08:53 +0100 918034 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=870470&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwhitterer-autism.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Flack-of-qualifications.html There are many problems, sorry ‘issues’, associated with autism. The primary issue is a serious lack of qualifications in parents. Whilst the averagely pregnant person isn’t qualified for parentdom, neither is the average parent qualified for autism. This mismatch may have a profound impact upon the overall well being of a family. Whilst there is a lot of hub bub about early intervention for an autistic child, very little is heard about early intervention for the parents. For myself, I can confirm that I was very ill equipped in the autism department. Of all the many useful and fascinating pieces of information I had stored away, very few of them had any relevance to autism. As we all now know, getting a jump on autism, would be tricky because of the variety pack nature of the condit... Whitterer on Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=870470 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:52:00 +0100 870470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=853140&cid=t_105219_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F154144870%2F The Holocaust Museum in Houston, Texas is running a new exhibit and lecture series, “Medical Ethics and the Holocaust”.  The series is being opened by James Watson the Nobel Prize-winning scientist whose 1953 co-discovery of DNA’s structure culminated this decade in the mapping of the human genome. Watson heads an impressive roster of speakers, who include three Nobel laureates and such prominent figures as Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the Human Genome Project, and Leon Kass, the former director of President Bush’s Council on Bioethics. Topics range from pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to euthanasia in the movies to performance-enhancing drugs in sports to the United States’ history with eugenics. For further information:  http://www.chron.com/disp/st... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=853140 Sun, 09 Sep 2007 09:53:37 +0100 853140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=835499&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fpitys-scrap-heap.html I recently came across a forum post by a young autistic man who wrote that he did not believe he was fit to be a father because he had "bad genes." Unfortunately, that wasn't the first such post I've seen. Over the past few years, as the autism epidemic propaganda has spread across the landscape like a noxious fungus, I've seen many posts in which autistics described themselves in such terms. One woman wrote that the Autism Speaks awareness ads left her feeling like a heap of genetic scrap metal. There is a mock awareness poster on the autistics.org website that puts it this way: "Odds of having an autistic child, 1 out of 166. Odds of an autistic person feeling like garbage when reading autism epidemic hype, 64 out of 83."When you're a target of pity-mongering cure charities, it can be ha... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=835499 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:55:00 +0100 835499 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=720041&cid=t_105219_87_f&fid=34925&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbestyoucanbe.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Fwilliams-syndrome-nyt-magazine-review.html Williams syndrome has some features in common with autism, but it is, scientifically, much easier to study. For one thing it's much better defined than autism; persons with "Williams syndrome" resemble one another more more closely than persons with "autism". For another, we have a reasonable understanding of the gene injury involved, and we can expect to match up the gene products with the "phenotype" (behaviors).The NYT Magazine has an extensive review with an excellent video as well. After watching the video, I think I know a woman (through a hockey organization I work with) who has the disorder.One thing to consider while reading the article. Williams syndrome is fairly well characterized because of the physics of our chromosomes. The defect involves a patch that is prone to being "wro... Be the Best You can Be blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=720041 Sun, 08 Jul 2007 16:11:00 +0100 720041 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=676246&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35128&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthiswayoflife.org%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D187 A friend is writing an ethics paper looking at the issue of disability and the value of life. In response to her, and also because I think this is a very important topic, I’ve posted it here as well. She asked me, specifically, to talk about some of the cultural (disability culture in this case) elements involved with such hierarchies. The first thing that comes to my mind, as far as cultural consideration, is the horrors that disabled people experienced in the holocaust, under the Nazi T4 program. Not only were we “euthanized”, but we were also used for so-called medical experimentation. People with physical and mental disability were given experimental drugs, subjected to extreme air pressures, starved, had their blood replaced with other chemicals, used as forced labor... NTs Are Weird blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=676246 Sun, 10 Jun 2007 14:20:44 +0100 676246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=520615&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35128&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthiswayoflife.org%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D150 Rick Rollens is at it again. In a recent speech, he said such amazing things as there is a “tsunami of people” who will “flood” the developmental disability systems, 97% of people with autism are “cared for” in their homes, that as we grow into adults we become a threat to our families, that most of us need one-on-one care, the cost is tremendous, only people “on life support” are more expensive, and, best of all, that we are the country’s “number one health emergency.” He also talked about how the increase isn’t due to increased diagnosis. First, I’ll say I don’t deny that autism involves good and bad things. But that doesn’t change anything I’m about to say. Nearly everything he stated that wa... NTs Are Weird blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=520615 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 16:26:39 +0100 520615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=519538&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35128&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthiswayoflife.org%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D150 Rick Rollens is at it again. In a recent speech, he said such amazing things as there is a “tsunami of people” who will “flood” the developmental disability systems, 97% of people with autism are “cared for” in their homes, that as we grow into adults we become a threat to our families, that most of us need one-on-one care, the cost is tremendous, only people “on life support” are more expensive, and, best of all, that we are the country’s “number one health emergency.” He also talked about how the increase isn’t due to increased diagnosis. First, I’ll say I don’t deny that autism involves good and bad things. But that doesn’t change anything I’m about to say. Nearly everything he stated that wa... NTs Are Weird blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=519538 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 04:13:19 +0100 519538 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=487206&cid=t_105219_133_f&fid=35098&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclub166.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F02%2Fwhat-goes-around-comes-around.html If you were to bring up the subject of eugenics in conversation, I would suspect that many people would have to stop and think a bit about what you were referring to. Of those that actually were conversant with the concept, I suspect that most would associate it with the quest for racial purity taken up by Nazi Germany. Few, however, would think of the United States.Yesterday morning I was in a local bookstore and was browsing thru the book “Choosing Naia”. I am drawn to reading stories of people’s journeys, and this book is a good one that chronicles an interracial couple’s raising of a daughter with Down’s Syndrome. The couple recount how they had taken a screening test for genetic abnormalities (including Down’s) which had come up negative. They go on to say that even if it ... Club 166 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487206 Mon, 19 Feb 2007 03:24:00 +0100 487206