Pope Benedict XVI Says Abortion Could Threaten Future Of Europe, New York Times Reports

Pope Benedict XVI on Friday during a visit to Vienna, Austria, said abortion could threaten the future of Europe, the New York Times reports. The pope urged European governments "not to allow children to be considered as a form of illness" and to provide incentives to couples who have children in an effort to reverse the continent's declining fertility rate (Fisher, New York Times, 9/8). According to Reuters, the average total fertility rate in European Union countries is about 1.5 children per woman (Pullella, Reuters, 9/7).

Benedict said that the "fundamental human right ... is the right to life itself," adding, "This is true of life from the moment of conception until its natural end. Abortion, consequently, cannot be a human right -- it is the very opposite." The pope proposed that rather than legalize abortion, governments create a "climate of joy and confidence in life ... in which children are not seen as a burden, but rather as a gift for all" (AFP/Yahoo! News, 9/7).

According to Reuters, Benedict's speech could have implications in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, in which abortion is expected to become a major campaign issue. In addition, the speech put the pope on a "collision course" with Amnesty International, which recently affirmed a new policy on abortion that supports a woman's right to the procedure under certain circumstances, Reuters reports (Reuters, 9/7).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Recently Released Journal Articles

The following highlights recently released journal articles on women's health issues.

Pregnancy & Childbirth
"Gestational Weight Gain and Adverse Neonatal Outcome Among Term Infants," Obstetrics and Gynecology: Naomi Stotland of the University of California-San Francisco and colleagues looked at the link between weight gain during pregnancy and adverse outcomes among 20,465 full-term, single-birth infants. Weight gain among women was categorized under Institute of Medicine guidelines and by weight gain extremes -- either a gain of fewer than 15.4 pounds or a gain of more than 39.6 pounds. The researchers found that 29% of the participants gained more than 39.6 pounds during their pregnancies, while 4.8% gained less than 15.4 pounds. According to the researchers, infants born to women who gained weight above recommended levels had poor Apgar scores -- a measurement of how well infants look and respond immediately following birth. Excessive weight gain also was associated with infant seizures, low blood sugar and meconium aspiration -- a potentially serious breathing condition. In addition, women who gained weight above recommended levels had a decreased risk of delivering small infants, while weight gain below recommended levels was associated with an increased risk of delivering a small infant. The study's findings indicate that increased efforts need to be made to prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy, the researchers said (Reuters Health, 9/11).
"The Infant Development, Environment and Lifestyle Study: Effects of Prenatal Methamphetamine Exposure, Polydrug Exposure and Poverty on Intrauterine Growth," Pediatrics: Lynne Smith, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California-Los Angeles' David Geffen School of Medicine, and colleagues analyzed the stools of 1,618 newborns for presence of methamphetamines in four medical centers in Honolulu, Los Angeles, Iowa and Oklahoma and asked their mothers if they had used meth during pregnancy. The researchers found that 84 of the infants had been exposed to meth in utero. After taking into account such factors as socioeconomic status, smoking and alcohol intake, the researchers found that the infants whose mothers had used meth during pregnancy were 3.5 times as likely to be underweight -- which is classified as weighing fewer than five pounds -- as those who were not exposed to the drug. The researchers said the drug might have hampered the flow of nutrients from the pregnant women to the womb (BBC News, 9/6).

Public Health
"Recreational Physical Activity and Survival Among Young Women With Breast Cancer," Cancer: Page Abrahamson of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and colleagues examined the link between physical activity before cancer diagnosis and survival rates among 1,264 women ages 20 to 54 who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 1990 and 1992. Within several months of breast cancer diagnosis, the researchers asked the women how often, on average, they participated in moderate and vigorous physical activity at ages 13, 20 and during the 12 months before diagnosis. According to the researchers, 290 women died during the study participants were followed, and women who reported the lowest activity levels had consistently lower survival rates. After accounting for cancer stage and income level, the researchers recorded a 22% reduction in the risk of death among the women with the highest level of activity in the year before their cancer diagnosis, compared with women who had the lowest activity levels. High levels of physical activity also were associated with a 30% decrease in the risk of death among women who were overweight or obese at diagnosis, according to the study. The researchers did not observe a correlation between risk of death and physical activity among women who were underweight or at their ideal weight when they were diagnosed with cancer. They also found that physical activity at ages 13 and 20 had no effect on survival rates among study participants. The study's findings are promising because not many adjustable lifestyle behaviors have been identified for improving breast cancer survival rates, according to the researchers (Rauscher, Reuters Health, 9/11).















"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Patient-Centered Health Care for Muslim Women in the USA

"Patient-centered Health Care for Muslim Women in the United States" is the topic of a conference March 4 and 5 at the
University of Illinois at Chicago that brings together consumers, providers and national experts to discuss culturally
appropriate health care for Muslim women.


Dr. Memoona Hasnain, director of research and assistant professor of public health in family medicine at UIC, is the
principal conference organizer.


From her own experiences as a Muslim woman and a physician, as well as from published studies and an informal survey of
female Muslim students and family medicine providers at UIC, Hasnain concluded that there is a need for ongoing discussion
and additional research on the subject.


"The religious and cultural beliefs of Muslim women impact their health care needs, and they face major barriers while
seeking health care that the rest of the population, particularly health care providers, often are unaware of," she said.



Modesty, for example, is a key concept in Muslim women's lives. Observant Muslim women prefer to avoid unnecessary close
contact with men, and most choose to wear clothing that covers their bodies. They need female health care providers and have
dietary restrictions, special needs during fasting, and personal hygiene needs related to daily prayers, Hasnain said.



Muslim practices and beliefs have implications for a variety of health care issues, she explained. Some are more obvious,
such as those related to sexual norms and obstetrical and gynecological care, including maternal and child health issues.
Less obvious ones include the stigma associated with mental health issues and HIV/AIDS.


"Providers' lack of attention to these needs may seriously compromise care," Hasnain said. "Due to the disconnect between
Muslim women's religious and cultural beliefs and providers' understanding and accommodation of those beliefs, some Muslim
women don't get the health care they need because it is not available in ways that are culturally appropriate. Belonging to a
particular religion or culture should never be the reason for receiving less than ideal health care."


The conference is sponsored by the department of family medicine of the UIC College of Medicine and funded by the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This collaborative project has support
from several UIC colleges and centers including the National Center of Excellence in Women's Health, Center for Research on
Women and Gender, School of Public Health, College of Nursing and the Great Cities Institute.


The conference will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the UIC Student Center West,
828 S. Wolcott Ave.


The keynote address, "Women in Islam: Facts and Perceptions," by Asma Barlas, professor and chair of politics at Ithaca
College, will be from 9 to 9:40 a.m. Friday.















From 9:45 to 10:25 a.m., Dr. Rosaly Correa-de-Araujo, senior advisor on women's health at the Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality, will present an interactive lecture on "Patient Centered Care: Relevance to Women's Health."


The remainder of Friday will be devoted to group work engaging participants in discussing priorities in health care for
Muslim women and developing an agenda for research, action and best practice.


Saturday highlights include, from 9 to 9:40 a.m., "Patient-Physician Communication: the Case of the Muslim Woman Patient," by
Dr. Elizabeth Burns, professor and chair, department of family medicine, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and
Health Sciences.


From 9:45 to 10:25 a.m., Dr. Fauzia Lodhi, director, Palliative Care and Hospice Program, Rush University Medical Center and
member of the board of directors of the Muslim Community Center in Chicago, will lead a discussion on "Culturally Appropriate
Health Care for Muslim Women."


From 10:45 to 11:25 a.m., Dr. Nawal Nour, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the African Women's
Health Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital, will lead a discussion on "Clinical Perspective: Female Genital Cutting."



From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a panel of Muslim women will discuss their health experience and an expert panel will respond
to them. This moderated panel discussion also will allow questions from other participants.


The conference is open to the public. Additional information is available at (312) 413-9118 and at uic.edu/depts/ci/mwhconf.


UIC ranks among the nation's top 50 universities in federal research funding and is Chicago's largest university with 25,000
students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the
Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and
government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.


University of Illinois at Chicago

601 S. Morgan St. MC 288

Chicago, IL 60607-7113

United States

Phone 312-996-3456

Fax 312-996-3754

news.uic.edu

Risks Of Cesarean Delivery Are Underreported, Benefits Overstated - Media Briefing Highlights Concerns In Advance Of NIH Conference

Unnecessary cesarean delivery constitutes a threat to the future health of mothers and babies who undergo major surgery, according to experts who spoke at a media briefing hosted by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), in Washington, D.C. today. According to these experts, the risks of cesarean delivery are largely misunderstood and underreported, and any benefits are often overstated. Women undergoing the procedure are doing so without being properly informed and are placing their future ability to have a normal delivery in serious jeopardy.


29% of all babies born in 2004 were delivered by cesarean and cesarean deliveries are the most often-performed surgical procedures in the United States, at a cost of $14 billion. The overall rate has increased an unexplainable 40% since 1996.


During the briefing, two women who underwent what they believe were preventable cesareans spoke about the complications they endured after their surgeries. Karen Salinetti of Falls Church, Virginia, underwent additional surgery to remove adhesions, a frequent complication of surgery, which developed after her cesarean. "I want women to know all the risks; too often, information about the surgery is glossed over, and in my case, had I been better informed, I might have made different decisions," Salinetti said. Barbara Stratton from Baltimore, Maryland, said, "I don't believe that any woman should go through this major surgery unnecessarily."


Also at the briefing, Peter Bernstein, MD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, NY, presented an update of his article 'Complications of Cesarean Delivery,' which was published by Medscape in September 2005. Bernstein wrote, "With the increasing rate of cesarean deliveries, providers will see more and more of these complications. It is also critical for the provider and the patient to be aware of the risks for complications so that they can make informed decisions about the best mode of delivery given the individual clinical situation they face."


Maureen Corry, MPH, of Childbirth Connection, a national not-for-profit organization that works to improve maternity care quality, presented data from Listening to Mothers, a national survey of women's childbearing experiences. The new survey, conducted by Harris Interactive® among women who gave birth in 2005, offers the first national data collected from mothers themselves on many views and experiences with cesarean section. "Mothers have spoken: Contrary to common belief, they are not electing to plan primary cesarean sections without medical reason; and furthermore, many believe that the current malpractice environment leads providers to perform cesarean sections that are not really needed. It's time for policy makers, health professionals, and women themselves to confront the legal, financial, clinical and other factors that contribute to the escalating U.S. cesarean rate."


"Midwives, as specialists in women's health care, are very concerned that decisions to perform surgery are being made based on circumstantial evidence, misinterpretation of evidence and/or lack of respect for the short and long term risks of this major abdominal surgery," said Katherine Camacho Carr, CNM, PhD, president of the ACNM.















The briefing was part of the ongoing ACNM REDUCE Campaign, which was launched to raise public and policymaker awareness about the troubling rise in cesarean sections performed in the United States. REDUCE stands for 'Research and Education to Decrease Unnecessary Cesarean Sections.'


The following organizations have joined ACNM in the REDUCE Campaign: American Association of Birth Centers, Citizens for Midwifery, the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services, the International Cesarean Awareness Network, and Lamaze International. Leaders from those organizations offered these statements in support of the REDUCE Campaign briefing:


-- "It is imperative that we educate the public about cesarean births including the risks of cesarean birth, and risk factors for future pregnancies, which are largely unknown to the public, and how to prevent cesarean sections by choosing birth centers and the midwifery model of care," said Jill Alliman, CNM, MSN, president of the American Association of Birth Centers.


-- "Only women themselves can tell us if they are actually demanding cesarean section surgery. With what we are learning from Childbirth Connection today, we now know that women VERY rarely schedule first cesareans by choice without a medical reason," says Susan Hodges, president of Citizens for Midwifery. "Only women can tell us what kind of informed consent process was provided to them. Citizens for Midwifery believes that women are not being given adequate and unbiased information about all the risks and benefits of cesarean sections. Research is needed to understand who and what are now influencing decisions to perform major abdominal surgery 'for no medical reason' despite substantial evidence that all cesareans increase harmful risks for mothers and babies."


-- "Voluntary cesarean surgeries are being sold as a woman's right to choose," says Lamaze International President Raymond DeVries, Ph.D. "But for a woman to choose the best option for her and her baby, she must know all the risks of surgical delivery and the comparative risks of a well-managed vaginal birth. Health care providers have the ethical and legal responsibility to provide this information to the women they care for."


-- "While public health officials may capture the harms of cesarean in overall morbidity and mortality statistics, we see the harms of cesarean on a much more personal level," said Tonya Jamois, president of the International Cesarean Awareness Network. "Many of the women who come to our group are struggling with post-operative pain, infections, chronic pain, secondary infertility, miscarriages, and fears about what complications that scar might pose for their next pregnancy. Some women breeze through their cesareans, but many pay a high price, and it should never be done without a good medical reason."


The ACNM REDUCE Campaign - Research and Education to Decrease Unnecessary Cesarean Sections - is a public service campaign of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and its partners. For more information about the REDUCE Campaign, visit midwife


With roots dating to 1929, the American College of Nurse-Midwives is the oldest women's health care association in the U.S. ACNM's mission is to promote the health and well-being of women and newborns within their families and communities through the development and support of the profession of midwifery as practiced by certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives. Midwives believe every individual has the right to safe, satisfying health care with respect for human dignity and cultural variations. More information about ACNM can be found at midwife.




American College of Nurse-Midwives

8403 Colesville Road, Suite 1550

Silver Spring, MD 20910-6374

acnm



ACNM 51st Annual Meeting & Exhibit

May 26 - June 1, 2006 - Salt Lake City, Utah