Abortion, Prenatal Screening, and IVF

This seems like a heavy topic to discuss to many, I'm sure. But the three topics listed in the title have been the major bulk of discussion thus far in my bioethics lecture that I've been teaching this summer. It's amazing how controversial topics such as these invoke so much emotion and people who tend to be a quiet person can be quite outspoken if they feel strongly about these issues.
I am believer of pro-choice, I always have been, and I can't necessarily say that I always will be since I have not yet had children, although I can't say if that would sway my views. I believe that it is ultimately a woman's right to choose to have an abortion. Morally I think that it's wrong to kill a fetus if you are irresponsible and end up pregnant as a result of a mutually agreed sexual encounter. I do think on the opposite side of things that it is your choice of whether or not you want to keep a child that is the result of rape, incest, etc. Although I think adoption is a choice people can make, I'm not going to say that it is my decision on that matter. I've never been put in that situation.
It's amazing how people think that 48 hours is the window in which a rape victim can be treated with the Plan B drug and then after that, conception may have occurred and they should carry the baby to term, even if it means adoption. I think that's a lot to put on someone's shoulder's after being the victim of a heinous crime. I think this comes back the idea that it's pro-choice, not because all pro-choice advocates think that abortion is always okay, but because it should be a choice that a woman, not the government or the church, should decide upon.
I do firmly believe that there is not nearly enough education given to women to let them know what an abortion does, how it can affect future fertility, and how there are chances that even after an abortion a baby can survive (it has happened). They need to be made aware of the counseling available because I do not think that women are provided with the counseling necessary to cope with a situation as difficult as abortion.
I am aware of other's beliefs and do think that it's great that I can have a class of students with very different opinions who can debate a topic in a constructive and productive manner. It's amazing, really.
I think that it's sad that these nutters that think killing an abortion doctor is justified don't step back and look at themselves. Thank god no one in my class thinks like that. But it's sad that they justify "killing" with killing. They are hypocritical and unethical and most of all, immoral. Ugh.

In terms of pre-natal screening, I think it's great there are technologies available to screen the health of your baby during pregnancy. I do think there's an issue with the information given about problems found during pregnancy, such as Down's syndrome. Did you know that 92-93% of all pregnant women who are told that they have a fetus with Down's syndrome have an abortion, and that rate is even higher in the UK and Australia? I know a few people who have children with disabilities and I know that they would not trade their children for any other child in the world. It seems sad to me that something such as Down's is enough of a justification to person to have an abortion. I think this all goes back to the education issue. Women need to be informed of what's available for children with disabilities, educational opportunities, etc.

Moving into in-vitro fertilization, I think there should be some sort of limit put on the number of embryos that a person is allowed to have implanted at one time. Successful studies have shown that 1-2 embryos being implanted have just as high of a success rate as having 7-8 implanted. There also needs to be some sort restriction on who can have this procedure done. I mean, realistically, are you irriated like me that my taxpayer dollars will help someone like Nadya Suleman who's selfish need to have a bunch of children comes at a cost to us and to the health of those babies? 14 children? All IVF? Come on now. That's not good, at all. Or what about Jon and Kate? Their sextuplets landed them a TV show and now that the family has personal issues with their marriage it's splattered all over the tabloids for all of the media hungry hounds the USA has for citizens. At what cost to the children? I don't care if she has PCOS, are you telling me that you need to be taking fertility drugs at 25? Keep trying for a while? That's my theory. I think you should keep trying and give it a few years. Good lord. It's a little different if the biological clock is ticking. Restricting the number of embryos implanted reduces the risk of a multiple pregnancy in which a wide range of complications and birth defects can occur. I think selective reduction should also be encouraged (which I know is difficult, how do you choose which ones get to live?!) just because the health and safety is important for the babies and you could lose them all if you cry to carry all to term. (And do not use the phrase "It is God's will" because it was God's will that you could not concieve naturally, it was science that implanted those embryos). I believe it's unethical to have 8 very sick and handicapped babies instead of 1-3 healthy ones. It's also unethical for a doctor to allow someone like Nadya Suleman to have IVF again after 6 children- it's supposed to be for those having trouble concieving, not those who love the government handouts and pretend to be Angelina Jolie- which I think she is trying to do- creepy!!!

Well I could write all day, but I have to get back to work. :)

What is Friendship?

As I grow older, I realize that I understand more and more what true friendship is. See, when you're in high school, you want people to think you're cool and like you and think you're cute. Then when you go to college you see the people who thought they were the greatest things to walk the face of the earth become average, or less than average. You see yourself as a different person, you come out of a shell and explore more, make new friends, and have new adventures.
Through all of that it seems like very few friends actually stay by your side.
I had a bad relationship in my past, and we shouldn't have been together, but for whatever reason I stayed in that bad relationship even though this person cheated on me repeatedly, and I finally said enough is enough when I found out that he was sleeping with one of my bridesmaids (which they denied of course) even though my "investigative snooping" on his computer found a rather inappropriate conversation about things they did together via IM (which occurred 2 weeks before the wedding). I thought this bridesmaid to be one of my best friends, and I really felt like I got stabbed in the back by her. It was awful, I think the heartbreak of someone who I thought to be a best friend doing that to me hurt more than him doing that to me. Long story short on that, friendships were ended but I feel in our older wiser years wer are starting to rebuild this friendship. She's still with him, so they must have been meant for each other, I just think that that wasn't the best way going about it, and I think that I should have broken up with him when I went to college. But we cannot change the past. I'm glad in the end that I did break up with him, because I met someone who means the world to me and that I'm madly in love with. It's awful, but I never felt with the other person what I do feel with my boyfriend (of almost 4 years now!). I still get butterflies sometimes.
Amongst other friendships lost, was one that still stings a bit today and I still struggle to figure out why. We were great friends and then this person moved back home and apparently didn't care to be a friend anymore. I was a friend when it was convienient.
I haven't been the best friend either. I forget to call, I don't keep in touch enough, I can be a big turd. But I do remember birthdays whenever possible, and I love my true friends a lot. I think something is to be said for true friendships. I don't have very many, but the ones I do have mean a lot to me. I'm glad that I do have a few true friends. I (at times) wish I had a few more, but I'm just exhausted right now from trying to be friends with some people. A friendship is a 50/50 split and requires effort from both parties, and I for one am tired of emailing and calling people only to not get so much as a Happy Birthday from them. Oh well.

Anyhow, enough rambling. I'm off to the gym- I'm on a diet and I'm working out. Hopefully I won't be a fatty forever!

~D.

Could it be the missing link?

Greetings earthlings,

Scientists are now claiming they have found the missing link, a 47 million year old primate so named Darwinius masillae. The exhibit for this particular fossil is at the Museum of Natural History in NYC. Interestingly, it's not something new, but is just hitting the news now because of it's public unveiling. It was actually discovered in 1983 by some fossil hunters near Frankfurt, Germany. This means they have been studying it for 26 years!

For someone such as myself who is a scientist and firmly stands by evolution, this is quite interesting. Pictures of this particular fossil indicate the presence of a tail, much the same as a primate, with opposable thumbs and apparently because there's no penis bone (yes the penis bone), it's a girl.

I'm interested in reading and seeing what people have to say about this fossil. I would love love love to go to the Museum of Natural History and see this fossil myself! It is just an amazing thing in the world of evolution and is either truly the link scientists have sought out for years, or it's all a big hoax (let's hope it's not the latter).

I have been one busy gal, considering how long it's been since I posted last! I am teaching this summer, bioethics starting in two weeks and microbiology lecture starting in the middle of July. I'm really happy to be gaining experience teaching at a collegiate level and I'm also loving working at a university in the summer- so quiet and peaceful!

I finally got an Ipod touch, a gadget I've been wanting for a while. It's amazing. I am in love with it, I swear. It is seriously one of the coolest toys I have ever owned! I love my Wii too, but I can't throw that in my purse, ha ha.

Let's see... I'm reading Deadlock by Iris Johansen, and so far it's okay. Just okay, because it's kind of written in a simplistic style, the storyline is someone falling short of expectations, and I get tired of the "romantic" storylines always written into women's books. I'm only about 100 pages in, and if I have to read the words "sexual tension" one more time, I'm going to throw the book across the room. I have slowly been working on "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin but I'm just not digging it like so many people do. Maybe it's because I just haven't sat down and really gotten into reading it. We are going to do a bookstore stop tomorrow (we love going to the bookstore- Barnes and Noble, love it) so more books are in my future.

That's about all for now. Have a good one, enjoy the sunshine!

~d.

HR 875

Hi all,

So I had a friend that posted a bulletin today about HR 875, a bill that is presently in Congress, called "Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009". This bill intends to make our food safer, but is implying that organic farming, including growing your own anything, could be illegal. This bill has rumors of some big supporters too. Monsanto, being the main one incriminated, wrote this response to this accusation that has been going around the internet, which can be seen here. This bill is obviously flawed in many ways, that could alter our enjoyment of organic farming or growing our own crops. This is a double edged sword.
This bill also intends to make our food safer. In light of recent events with peanut butter, spinach, etc. I think we can all agree that food regulations need to be tighter in this country, especially since we have the money and manpower (yes, even in an economic crisis, we are the USA after all) to have a separate governing agency tightening the reins on the food we eat. Do people realize that organic doesn't necessarily mean better? Organic farming may still use non-organic fertilizers (they just don't use non-organic pesticides, etc. although the use of an organic pesticide may be an option) and they don't necessarily have to be free of genetic engineering in some fashion. People need to wake up and realize this.
Now does this mean we should ban organic farming? No. Certainly not. I personally enjoy organic fruits and veggies over the waxed and chemical ridden fruits and veggies in the supermarket (although I don't always buy organic, I do enjoy organic though, if I had more $$$ I'd go all organic).
This bill is good news and bad news, that is where the double-edged sword comes in. It's too broad. Congress needs to turn this bill down and sit down and revise it to be more specific in its meanings as well as clarify its position on organic farming as well as devise a consise plan for safer foods in this country.
It's not surprising Monsanto is under attack for this. The genetic engineering mogul has dominated industry with it's genetically engineered soy, corn, various veggies and fruits, herbicides and pesticides and and bovine growth hormones (BGH). The risks of these products are largely unknown and people fear what these products could do to them, which is understandable. But do people realize that they have been eating genetically modified products for years? Yes, there are risks and Monsanto should research these risks associated with their products. Yes, the government needs to turn this bill down (then revisit and revise to make suitable for US Citizens well being).
That's my two cents on that topic, I hope everyone has a good day.

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Being cranky.

So I've been kinda irritated lately. I made a trip up north over the weekend to see family and friends and have a stress free good time. It was a great time and I wish we could have stayed longer to see more people. I am irritated about the person who used to be one of my best friends. They essentially stopped talking to me when they finished school and moved away (same hometown) to our hometown, and when I see them out in our hometown, they are rude and standoffish to me.
I finally have given up on this. I just don't see what the point in even talking to this person is anymore, ever, even when I run into them. People like this wouldn't know friendship if it slapped them in the face. They make friends with people who are convenient to be friends with and when it's no longer convenient they drop that friendship and move to the next.
This person doesn't have a whole lot of friends as it is, they have a personality that many find hard to deal with, and quite frankly, a lot of people think that this person is a bitch because of their negative pissy personality. They thrive on other people being as miserable as them. It's sad and pathetic really. I guess that me being happy and doing well for myself is unacceptable to this person and that makes me no longer friend material. God forbid I want to be successful in life. Whatever I guess, it's just so childish, all of it. I'm done with it. You know who you are, get over yourself. I am happy, and if you can't be happy for me, then you aren't worth a minute of my time. I enjoyed myself up north otherwise.
Another irritation- useless employees. If you are lucky to have a job right now in this economy, you damn well better be doing a good job at what you are doing. My office has been an oven (it was 92 yesterday) for a long time now, and after 4 work orders, maintenance finally comes to work on it and tells me that the thermostat was set to that temperature (bullshit, since I turned it down to 60 myself) and then they work on it for 45 minutes and have to go to lunch, at 11:30, when staff lunch is at noon. It is pretty irritating when this is an issue that could have been fixed months ago (trust me, they aren't that busy). They don't salt the sidewalks or drives in a timely manner, sometimes not at all, their plowing sucks, and they are mostly just plain lazy.

Now that I've been super bitchy chick, I'm gonna get back to work, I'm done with my little bit of lunch. Have a good day.

Sundance Vacations

Hi all,

A month or so ago when I was at the mall I entered a contest to win a Mercedes at the mall (wishful thinking, right). When I signed up for it, it was money, a car, or a vacation. Well apparently I won the vacation, which made me very excited this morning. Then I decided to look up the company that I'm supposed to go to tomorrow night to pick up this package- Sundance vacations. People have posted stories of pushy sales tactics to buy timeshares and expensive vacation packages. I guess some people sat through it all and still got the free package. I want to go tomorrow hoping I won't get scammed, but I am worried about it. The bf will be going with me too so hopefully his "I'm not taking your crap" personality will keep them from being pushy?! What should I do.....


~D.