Care2 Causes � Health Policy

Ban on Ex-Gay Therapy for Minors Passes California Senate

Steve Williams — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:00:09 +0000

A bill that would prevent under 18s being forced into so-called ex-gay therapy passed the California Senate on Wednesday. The legislation, the first of its kind in the US, was advanced by 23 votes to 13. The bill must now be approved by the General Assembly and then signed into law by Governor Jerry [...]

BrainGate Allows Effortless Remote Control of Robotic Arm (VIDEO)

Julie M. Rodriguez — Thu, 31 May 2012 06:26:18 +0000

A new electrode implant may help people with severe disabilities manipulate and pick up objects by themselves. The experimental BrainGate implant is a 96-electrode sensor the size of a baby asprin – and it allows people suffering from paralysis to control a robotic arm using only their thoughts. When “S3,” a 58-year-old woman who had [...]

Why Aren’t Women Using More Effective Birth Control?

Julie M. Rodriguez — Thu, 31 May 2012 05:30:54 +0000

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the most popular methods of contraception – the pill, the patch, or the vaginal ring – are 20 times less effective than long-term birth control methods. Intrauterine devices (IUDs) and contraceptive implants are designed to stay in the body anywhere from 2-10 [...]

Getting Sensible About Sensory Processing Disorder

Kristina Chew — Thu, 31 May 2012 04:07:18 +0000

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a statement saying that sensory processing disorder (SPD) -- a condition in which children have unusual sensory sensitivities that affect their everyday functioning and much else -- should not be a diagnosed condition in and of itself.

Sex-Selective Abortion Bans Do More Harm Than Good

Jessica Pieklo — Thu, 31 May 2012 03:10:06 +0000

House Republicans delayed until Thursday a vote on the controversial Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA). It’s hard to tell if this is a victory or not. The bill is not expected to pass, so when the vote happens doesn’t really matter. But Republicans are trying really hard to leverage PRENDA into a talking point that the [...]

Former “Lost Boy” Gives Back to South Sudan

Aid for Africa — Thu, 31 May 2012 02:30:54 +0000

If you have been following the news from South Sudan, you know this new nation confronts many challenges, including threats of renewed warfare, extreme poverty and a shortage of government services. But there are reasons for optimism, thanks, in part, to organizations like the John Dau Foundation, an Aid for Africa member. It took five [...]

Should We Care If Politicians Might Commit Suicide?

Paul Canning — Wed, 30 May 2012 20:15:28 +0000

An Australian MP under investigation for misuse of union resources has asked the media if it’s trying to “push him to the brink” of suicide. Labor MP Craig Thomson is under multiple investigations over claims he misused a union-issued corporate MasterCard. This includes allegations he used it to pay for prostitutes. A tabloid television news [...]

Native American Rez is Ground Zero for Ever-Expanding Meth Economy

New America Media — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:30:02 +0000

Written by Allie Hostler HOOPA, Calif. — He snorted his first line of dope when he was 15. He remembers the day. He ran with the older boys, and they tried to look out for him by refusing to rail him up. They told him, �You better not.� But it wasn�t long before his [...]

Oklahoma Rape Victim Turned Away From Hospital

Jessica Pieklo — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:04:13 +0000

An Oklahoma mother brought her daughter to a local hospital after she was raped only to be turned away and refused help by a doctor, purportedly because the hospital lacked the staff to properly process the victim’s claims and injuries. Welcome to the reality of processing sexual assault crimes in GOP-land. The woman and her [...]

New BPA Substitute May Be Equally Dangerous

Beth Buczynski — Wed, 30 May 2012 05:53:33 +0000

Faced with a growing number of scientific studies that show exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) has a negative impact on human health, companies are starting to remove it from many plastic and paper product. Unfortunately, they’ve�largely replaced it with a chemically similar compound, called Bisphenol-S (BPS). It’s a new twist on the classic bait-and-switch: when [...]