Sex change regret silenced
(WNS)–As rates of sex change surgeries skyrocket, one of the world’s leading genital reconstruction surgeons is speaking out about an issue not being addressed: gender change regret. In an interview with The Telegraph of London last week, professor Miroslav Djordjevic lamented the lack of research on transgender people changing their minds and undergoing surgery reversal. Djordjevic, an acclaimed surgeon and researcher who performs about 100 sex change surgeries every year, recounted in the interview a discussion he had with U.K. graduate student James Caspian in 2014. Djordjevic told Caspian he was seeing a growing number of patients who were expressing regret about their gender reassignment surgeries and wanted to “detransition.” Caspian decided to research the trend of sex change surgery regret for his master’s degree at Bath Spa University in Bath, England. But after preliminary research, the university rejected his proposal. Officials told him they were afraid of online criticism about a “politically incorrect” topic.
STDs at record high
(WNS)–Rates of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States are at an all-time high, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics. Americans reported more than 2 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in 2016. “STDs are a persistent enemy, growing in number, and outpacing our ability to respond,” said Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. The report noted that cases of syphilis and gonorrhea are increasingly affecting a new population: men who have sex with men.
ACLU sues to allow abortion pills in pharmacies
(WNS)–Women should be able to get abortion-inducing drugs at their local pharmacies in addition to abortion facilities, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) argues in a new lawsuit. The group sued on behalf of a Hawaii abortionist and three medical entities against federal regulations of the drug RU-486, also known as mifepristone and the brand name Mifeprex. The drug works with the drug misoprostol to cut off nutrients to babies during early pregnancy and send the mother into labor. The lawsuit, if successful, would affect pharmacists with conscientious objections to dispensing mifepristone. In 2015, Christian business owners in Washington who protested stocking their pharmacy with emergency contraceptives Plan B and Ella lost a federal appeal in Stormans Inc. v. Weisman. The following year, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
U.S. doctors take official stance against euthanasia
(WNS)–Amid increasing attempts to legalize euthanasia at the state level, the nation’s second-largest network of physicians officially spoke out against it. The American College of Physicians (ACP) wrote in a position statement published Sept. 19 in the Annals of Internal Medicine that the organization of 152,000 medical professionals stands against the legalization of physician-assisted suicide, “the practice of which raises ethical, clinical, and other concerns.” The position paper came in response to increasing public interest in legalizing euthanasia to promote patient autonomy at the end of life. The ACP said it remained “attentive to all voices” but decided to oppose legalization efforts.
Republican Illinois governor OKs state funds for abortion
(WNS)–Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, signed a bill on Sept. 28 approving taxpayer funding for abortion and protecting state abortion provisions in the event the U.S. Supreme Court ever overturns Roe v. Wade. “I personally am pro-choice,” Rauner said at a news conference before signing the bill. “I always have been. And I made no qualms about that when I was elected governor. And I have not and never will change my views. I personally believe that a woman should have, must have, the right to decide what goes on in her own body.” Rauner’s decision to sign HB 40 came as a surprise to sponsors and opponents alike. In April, his office issued a statement in support of “reproductive rights under current Illinois law” but against the bill.
