14th August, 1998
American Youth involved in Risky Behaviour
Fox News reported today that the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey revealed that a significant number of U.S. high school students admitted they got drunk, had sex, smoked, carried weapons and practiced other "risky" behaviour. Laura Kann with the Centers for Disease Contol in Atlana was quoted as reponding, "This report tells us that too many youth practice behaviours that are unnecessarily placing them at risk for serious injury, sexually transmitted diseases and other preventable health problems. These risk behaviours should be cause for great concern."
The survey discovered that more than one-third of high school students got drunk over the preceding month or rode with a driver under the influence of alcohol. It also showed that almost one-fifth of students carried a weapon, such as a gun, knife or club.
One-third also admitted having sexual intercourse in the preceding three
months, but only 56 percent used a condom.The CDC said that the risky sexual
behavior was leading to rises in sexually transmitted diseases, including
AIDS, which were said to be "epidemic" among America's youth.
Involuntary Euthanasia on the Rise
13th August 1997
A report today from Associated Press today said: "Doctors who help
patients end their lives frequently fail to consult with other physicians
and sometimes don't even involve the patient in the decision, a new study
found. It said in 15.3 percent of the cases of euthanasia studied
patients were never involved in the decision. The study also revealed
that more than 60 percent of doctors who had a participated in an euthanasia
case said they did not consult with another physician either.
CANADA CONSIDERING GIVING HEROIN TO ADDICTS
As death of drug addicts increase, Canadian authorities in Vancouver are steadily getting closer to breaking a North American taboo by supplying free heroin to addicts according to an Associated Press report. The report said that because of the deaths related to the influx of cheaper and more potent herion, British Columbia health official Dr. John Millar recommended last month that health workers provide heroin to certain addicts on a trial basis. The government's reasoning is that free drugs would reduce the risk of overdose and free them from the daily scavenging for money to buy their next drug fix.
A.C.L.U. President Praises Pornographers
Associated Press and Nando Times yesterday reported on the World Pornography Conference which was advertised as a study of "eroticism and the First Amendment." The conference was hosted by the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult entertainment industry, and the California State University at Northridge.Many protested the use of the university for promoting the pornography industry. The report said that Tonya Flynt-Vega, the daughter of porn magazine publisher Larry Flynt, said, "They're really exploiting the First Amendment. My father didn't give a damn about the First Amendment. He's not a First Amendment freedom fighter. None of this has anything to do with the First Amendment." The report said that amidst the conference attendees was Nadine Strossen, the first woman president of the American Civil Liberties Union. In Strossen's address to the conference, she told porn stars and adult film makers, "I want to underscore how extremely essential your efforts are. I want to thank and applaud you for your fight and contribution for First Amendment freedom and to galvanize you to 'keep it up,' so to speak. Your vital work on behalf of freedom of sexual expression is incredibly important for the free speech cause. Once we cede to the government the power to violate one right for one person, or group, then no right is safe for any person or group. So when we defend sexual expression, we really are making a stand not only against a specific kind of censorship ... but human rights in general."