A COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO AIDS . . .The French Order of Doctors has called for a common sense approach to the AIDS crisis. In January, the Order announced that it was the "moral duty" of surgeons infected with HIV to cease operating and switch to another medical field or even administrative work to protect patients. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the agency largely responsible for establishing policies that govern the health care industry, refuses to abandon its current policy of recommending only "voluntary" testing of doctors and surgical patients. In addition, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons have stated that they will continue to recommend testing of doctors only on a "voluntary" basis. Dr. Sanford E. Kuvin, a leading specialist in infectious and tropical diseases, has stated that the CDC should change its policy, because HIV is always lethal. But, he says, "the CDC has let politics override medicine and does not have the fortitude to issue mandatory testing guidelines, which lead to lives lost." [Human Events, 2/14/97] 1ST AMENDMENT PROTECTS LANDLORDS . .In the state of Alaska, city and state laws forbid rent discrimination on the basis of marital status. Christian landlords, Kevin Thomas and Gary and Joyce Baker, brought suit against the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission and the Alaska Human Rights Commission because they believe the Bible teaches that couples should not live together before marriage; therefore, landlords should not be forced to rent to cohabiting couples. U.S. District Judge Russel Holland ruled in favor of the Christian landlords, stating the laws were unconstitutional, because they forced Christians to decide between holding to their religious beliefs and becoming lawbreakers. Judge Holland's decision will most likely be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. A similar case in California was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and the Court is considering whether or not to hear that case. [ Associated Press, 2/7/97]COSMETIC INDUSTRY TARGETS PRE-TEENS . . .Little girls have been playing "dress-up" for years, using mother's cast-off clothes, jewelry and sometimes, even old make-up. But now, the cosmetic industry has opened up a vast new market: pre-teen girls as young as three years old. Sales of the toddler make-up line -- which the company insists is sold only for play -- have doubled since it was introduced 10 years ago. In 1996, teens and pre-teens spent $4.7 billion on beauty products, with the biggest jump in the grade-school set. "The phenomenon of makeup for children is another example of what Neil Postman has called 'the disappearance of childhood,' whereby contemporary culture erases the distinction between children and adults. It also demonstrates a new application of our society's twisted obsession with beauty (in stark violation of Peter 3:3). Most disturbingly of all -- in our age of kiddie porn and sexual abuse -- it marks another step in the growing sexualization of children." [Source and Quote -- Gene Edward Veith, author of Culture Notes, WORLD, 4 /26/97, pg 22.]PHARMACIST DENIES PRESCRIPTION . . .California pharmacist, John Boling, cited "moral objections" for refusing to dispense the so-called "morning after pill" to a client from Long's Pharmacy in Temecula, CA. The California Pharmacists Association (CPhA), the largest state professional association of pharmacists (6000 membership) stated on 4/4/97, "Although CPhA spouses no position on the action of Pharmacist John Boling, we have very clear policy supporting his right of conscience," The CPhA passed the Pharmacist's Conscience Clause (Policy 96-11) in February of 1996. Louisiana, Puerto Rico and the Canadian province of Alberta have passed similar clauses and more than a dozen other states have the clause under consideration and debate. Pharmacists for Life International (PFLI), the only national and international pharmacy association which is exclusively pro-life, representing 1400 pharmacists, has also supported Boling's decision to refuse to dispense any drug which violates his conscience. PFLI has sent a letter of commendation to both Boling and CPhA for their courageous stand. Long's Pharmacy has a policy that if a pharmacists has a moral objection, the prescription should be referred to another on-duty pharmacist, to another Long's, or to a competing pharmacy if necessary. Boling refused to be a party to a potential killing of a preborn child by refusing all cooperation with the client. Boling is being reprimanded by Longs for refusing to refer the client to another pharmacist and/or pharamcy. [AFA Action Alert, 5/11/97]THE RECORD ON HOME SCHOOLING . . .There are approximately 1.2 million school-age children taught at home. In the public school, white students significantly outpace minorities in reading scores -- white students score in the 57th percentile, while black and Hispanic students score in the 28th percentile. However, among the home-schooled, the situation is quite different. Minorities make up 5 percent of those schooled at home, and they and their white counterparts both score on average in the 87th percentile in reading. In math, home-schooled white students score only slightly better than minority students -- at the 82nd percentile versus the 77th. The average cost for home schooling is $546 per child per year, while the annual public school per-pupil expenditure is $5,325. [Michael P. Farris (Home School Legal Defense Association). "Sold Evidence to Support Home Schooling," Wall Street Journal, March 5, 1997]AMERICA'S FASTEST GROWING INDUSTRY . . .In 1997, Americans will spend more money on gambling than they will spend on groceries. They will make more visits to casinos than to baseball parks -- three-fourths of American citizens live within 300 miles of a casino. [Larry Burkett, "Money Matters", Christian Financial Concepts, 5/97, pg 1] |