Treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a group of abnormal cells confined to the breast ducts, varies widely in the United States. Treatment ranges from potential over-treatment with aggressive surgical therapy to possible under-treatment by not
Women with early-stage breast cancer face three late breast cancer consequences: disease recurrence within the conserved breast, development of a contralateral breast cancer, and manifestation of distant metastases. Although local therapy with surgery a
Health Canada is advising Canadians that newborns may be adversely affected when pregnant women take Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and other newer anti-depressants during the third
An article in the current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine explains how a computer based simulation model has found a link between short-term hormone therap
Women with painful uterine fibroids may not know there is an alternative to hysterectomy, says a University of Toronto researcher.The University of Toronto's teaching hospitals are all equippe
Regardless of sexual orientation, unmarried women ages 40 to 75 voiced reluctance to undergo routine cancer screening tests, feeling out of place or misunderstood in health care settings, according to the first wave of information from a five-year Brown Un
The largest North American breast cancer prevention trial ever undertaken, the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR), reached its goal of enrolling 19,000 women to the trial in June 2004, a month earlier than originally expected. Women still
A group of prominent experts on treatment of the menopause today issued advice for doctors on the use of hormone therapy.Under the auspices of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ob
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered evidence of pelvic floor nerve injury after routine vaginal birth. Their findings are reported in this month's issue of Obstetrics an
A new long-term study finds over 20 years, only one in five women who have mammograms every two years will have to undergo follow up evaluation for a false positive finding. Only one in 16 will have an unnecessary invasive procedure over two decades.
Date: Thursday, 23-Nov-2006
Seventy-four House members in a letter recently sent to Amnesty International USA Executive Director Larry Cox call on the group to reject a proposal that would support access to abortion in cases of rape, incest, sexual assault or to save the life of the woman, the AP/Los Angeles Times reports (Abrams, AP/Los Angeles Times, 11/20).The proposal arose from the group's program to curb violence against women. The group has said issues such as forced marriage of young girls and illegal abortions also are being discussed (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/26).
The letter asks Amnesty "at a minimum" to "remain neutral on the issue of abortion," according to a release from Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus (Smith release, 11/20).
"To in any way condone or support abortion, which many of your supporters believe is actually a human rights abuse, would significantly undermine Amnesty's reputation and effectiveness," the letter, which was signed by House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), adds.
Amnesty in a statement released at a news conference on Monday said that the proposal is in line with its Stop Violence Against Women campaign and that "sexual violence directed at women and girls is a human rights scandal."
The statement adds that the group is not debating whether women have the right to an abortion under any circumstances.
According to the AP/Los Angeles Times, a decision on the proposal could come in August 2007 during Amnesty's next international gathering in Mexico (AP/Los Angeles Times, 11/20).
This article is republished with kind permission from our friends at the The Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery of in-depth coverage of health policy developments, debates and discussions. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for Kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Copyright 2006 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.