by NexDev | September 9, 2016 | News
The French Student Health Insurance System (SMEREP), which regularly publishes health surveys on high school and college students, is sounding an alarm concerning student’s recourse to abortion, especially within the Paris region.
The 2016 study « Health of High School and College Students » conducted by the Opinion Way Institute reveals that 5% of French college students have aborted at least once (sometimes 3 times). For high school students the figure is 6% (with some having aborted twice). This latter figure jumps to 10% within the region of Paris. The same study shows that 31% of high school students have taken the “morning after” pill.
Mr. Faivre, who is responsible for prevention at the SMEREP stated in this report: “The SMEREP wants to warn about these situations experienced by young women as a result of an abortion, and on the subsequent psychological consequences, which are sometimes very serious”.
by NexDev | September 2, 2016 | Medically Assisted Procreation
On June 2, 2016, an Australian lady gave birth to her grandson, Parker. Theresa Hohenhaus had embryos implanted from her daughter and her son-in-law. Parker’s grandmother offered to be a surrogate in place of her own daughter whose uterus had been damaged by leukemia treatment during her childhood.
The embryo derived from the gametes of her daughter and son-in-law was implanted in this 46-year-old lady, and mother of 5 children, who then carried the baby for nine months for them before giving birth to her own grandson.
The birth, which has been widely publicized in the press and spread over social media with photos of the two women, gives cause for numerous ethical considerations. In this situation: the generations are mixed up: the “surrogate” mother is the grandmother of the child, which could lead to confusion in terms of filiation and emotional bonding. In addition, this practice has an impact on the intra-familial emotional pressure connected with infertility cases, and raises major ethical questions on the commodification of women’s bodies and children’s rights.
by NexDev | September 2, 2016 | Uncategorized
When the French National Council for the Order of Pharmacists, met on September 6, 2016 to finalize the project of draft reform for the pharmacists’ code of ethics, they waived the introduction of an explicit conscience clause, which had been recommended in a pre-project. In fact, recently in December 2015, an “internal” consultation proposed by the Order to the 75,000 pharmacists on their list, revealed that 85% wished to have a conscience clause instituted.
While the intention of the National Council for the Order of Pharmacists is to develop its Code of Ethics in order to “adapt it to today’s situation, in a professional environment whereby pharmacists, the first line actors in public health, are submitted to major ethical imperatives.”
The conscience clause was suggested for pharmaceutical acts liable to endanger human life. The article on the conscience clause, in this first draft, was thus worded: “Without prejudice to patients’ rights to access or continuity of health care, the pharmacist can refuse to carry out a pharmaceutical act liable to endanger human life. He must thus inform the patient, and do everything possible to assure that the patient will be taken care of in a timely manner by another pharmacist. Otherwise, the pharmacist shall be required to perform the pharmaceutical act”.
In fact, as underlined in the current code of ethics (Art R4235-2 in the Public Health Code), pharmacists have the ethical duty to practice their profession “in the respect of life and human individuals”.
In the past few years, they have been faced with requests for delivering abortive products, with the development of medical abortions practiced by city doctors or mid-wives, and presumably in the future, for delivering lethal products. (A possibility which cannot be overlooked after the new law on February 2, 2016 regarding the End of Life, since acts of deep and continuous sedation could lead to assisted suicides and euthanasia.)
The Public Health Code (article L2212-8) authorizes a conscience clause for medical professionals regarding abortion, whether they are doctors, mid-wives, nurses or other medical auxiliaries, but not to pharmacists who were not originally involved in abortion cases.
The right to conscientious objection for health professionals “in the context of lawful medical care” was reaffirmed in a resolution by the Parliamentary Assembly at the Council of Europe in 2010 for acts which affect life (abortion, euthanasia, destruction of human embryos).
The lawyer, Jean-Baptiste Chevalier, explains in a forum on September 5: “It (the conscience clause) is however, the prerequisite to enjoy full liberty of conscience, in accordance with their duty, as established by article 10 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man of the Citizen and in article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.” This lawyer at the Bar in Paris even clarifies: “We cannot oblige pharmacists to deliver products destined to provoke death, without seriously violating their freedom of conscience.” Doing so would be deeply contradictory to their primary mission, which is to dispense health-care products for patients.
As a compensation for the conscience clause, the draft article which was finally rejected, specified that a pharmacist invoking the clause was nevertheless required to propose a solution for the patient, and to ensure his continued medical care.
Over fear that abortion would be contested, in mid-July a vehement controversy spread through the social networks, widely publicized by the “pro-abortion” movements, a controversy in which even the Ministers Laurence Rossignol and Marisol Touraine participated.
FOR ALLIANCE VITA
This back-sliding by the Order of Pharmacists is a symbolic episode of a collaborative ideological offensive against the right for conscientious objection. In fact, the procedures for the exercise of such a right should be adapted to the new conditions of health professionals, due to the dispensing of products liable to deliberately provoke death.
French pharmacists are thus discriminated against: they are the only medical professionals in France who are not granted recourse to a conscience clause when a life is at stake. Several other European countries concede this right. For example, recall that in Belgium, pharmacists are not required to deliver products for euthanasia.
by NexDev | September 2, 2016 | News
With participants arriving from 51 French departments, 312 volunteer members of Alliance VITA met near Angers for the 19th Summer University from August 26th– 28th.
While the beginning of the new school year 2016-2017 has already been monopolized by partisan bickering, the theme for this Summer University “VITAlize FRANCE” entails a “serious political responsibility”, for the association in the context of a traumatized society, searching for its’ own identity, no longer even knowing ‘who Man is’, due to a lack of anthropological reference points.
The agenda included three days of conferences, workshops, testimonies, meetings, role plays, practical exercises, initiation to helping relationships, thematic work on the major projects for the “election year” now beginning, but also with the perspective of developing the crisis centers held by Alliance VITA: SOS Baby and SOS End of Life. Historians, political scientists, journalists came to speak about the situation in France. To be mentioned, many members of VITA Youth, which increased considerably these past few months. And a poignant testimony on Mother Teresa of Calcutta who was dedicated to the service for the life of the poorest and to the protection of life.
Tugdual Derville, the Association’s General Delegate, presented his new book, “Le Temps de l’Homme » (“Time for Mankind”) (Plon Editions) and stated:
« Each one of the approximately 1100 members, involved in the Alliance VITA teams is encouraged to take action in his own surroundings and together with us, ‘here and now’ as a political and social actor. We are intensifying our efforts to establish a fairer and more humane society, without awaiting a political savior, and by stepping back from the battle of egos. The force of Alliance VITA is our network of competent, motivated and dedicated individuals, on all topics related to the life of the most vulnerable. This is what accounts for our credibility and our effectiveness in the long term.”
François-Xavier Pérès, President of the Association, states « To live free, is to get involved!”
“If Alliance VITA’s voice is heard by the electoral candidates, right from the presidential primaries up to the legislative elections, it is due to our capacity to tell the truth and be consistent, thanks to our legal and social expertise, our field involvement with the individuals who call our crisis centers and by assuming our convictions.” The President of Alliance VITA concluded by citing Saint Augustine of Hippo: “Bad times, hard times, this is what people keep saying; but let us live well and times shall be good. We are the times: as we are, such are the times!”
Alliance VITA’s new scholastic year continues with a training session in Lyon on September 24th and 25th, and one in Paris on October 8th and 9th, organized by VITA Youth.
by NexDev | August 31, 2016 | Medically Assisted Procreation
According to Tugdual Derville, having recourse to surrogate mothers « can’t be ethical »..
The word ethical is only associated with surrogacy to give a positive connotation to an unfair practice. Behind every form of gestational surrogacy “in place of” another person, there is the planned initial rupture between the woman and the child she is bearing. This rupture is even more serious than the other scandals in surrogacy, such as its commercial aspects. Why? The interactions between a woman and the child she is carrying are extremely sensitive, precious and rich. Science is still discovering all the complexities and even the mystery of what occurs during this intra-uterine period of life. It is denying reality to pretend that one can miss this moment, or more accurately, provoke this rupture painlessly by a contract whereby the woman commits to deliver the baby she carries to the sponsors.
That is why there is no fundamental difference between a surrogacy motivated by poverty, as can be seen in some poor countries, and a surrogacy purporting to be ethical or altruistic: the motivations of the surrogate mothers can be nothing but ambivalent. Surrogacy cannot be “altruistic” because my child is not a possession belonging to me. A child does not give his mother “by altruism” to another child who would be deprived of one.
In some dire circumstances, a woman may decide to entrust her child to adoption services: this is a answer to a dramatic situation, without denying the suffering. Surrogacy is just the opposite: it does not bring an answer to a dramatic situation, it creates it! Surrogacy promoters emphasize the suffering of couples who wish to have a child. Yet, deep-felt longings risk to numb our consciences. Societies are built by regulating the strongest desires, which could become tyrannical at the expense of the most vulnerable.
Extract from interview : « Le Pèlerin » August 24, 2016. Alliance VITA’s General Delegate, author of “Le Temps de l’Homme » (“Time for Mankind”) (Ed. Plon).
