One of the three best known “Kansas City Prophets”, whose
apparently supernatural knowledge and prophetic predictions caused controversy
around 1990, has passed away. Bob Jones’
life was unconventional in many respects; for example, by his own account he
has died before, but God sent him back. He
also claimed to have regularly received visits and messages from angels. One of his prophecies was that there would be
a (Christian) revival amongst young people after his death.
Belgium’s Parliament has passed a law that permits child
euthanasia “after a doctor has certified that the child fully understands the implications of the decision.” A critic
said, “The entire euthanasia project in Belgium is being pushed blindly by a
government that has ignored all abuses of existing euthanasia law.”
A study in the USA claims to have found a gene that
increases the likelihood of a man being
gay. The study compared the genetics of
400 sets of twins, and discovered a particular gene that men inherit from their
mothers increases their chances of being gay by approximately 40%. However, the
study pointed out that the gene was neither necessary nor sufficient for men to
be gay; as an example, it repeated a well-backed statistic that men are more
likely to be gay if they are the youngest (or near-youngest) in their family,
and the older siblings are brothers. No such gene was found for gay females.
A pharmacist in the USA is suing his employer after being
fired for refusing to dispense the “morning-after” pill. The pharmacist had
worked for the company for six years,; the company was aware of his religious
objections to the pill, and he had always asked another pharmacist to fill in
prescriptions for the pill. But when state law changed to make the pill
available over the counter, the pharmacist was asked if he would dispense the
drug, and fired when he said “No.”
The lower chamber of the Iowa state legislature recently debated abortion – specifically, the
practice of a woman consulting doctor by
video conference after which he, if he chooses, will dispense abortion-inducing
medication. A motion was passed to ban this practice, though it is unlikely to
pass the state Senate. However, the debate was controversial because a Democratic
representative suggested that abortion might be justified because babies have
colic; sleepless nights; birth defects; learning disabilities; or mental health
issues. A recent survey by a pro-choice group found that up to 75% of women who
had abortions did so for reasons of convenience, finances, or because they were
having relationship problems.
In technology news, medical research using stem cells, which
has long been controversial because the stem cells were obtained from human
embryos which were then destroyed, may have found a simpler, cheaper and more
ethical way of producing stem cells. A researcher in Japan found that blood
cells from mice could be turned back into an embryonic state just by bathing
them in acid for half an hour. Research to see if the same process works on
human blood cells is under way.
And finally, Mexican officials have made the largest seizure
of drug cash in history in a house in an
upmarket region of Mexico City. The house was used by producers of a key
ingredient of metamphetamines; the group had been under surveillance for a
year. When the house was raided, investigators found $205,600,000 in US
dollars; a few hundred thousand euros and pesos; eight luxury vehicles; seven
weapons; and a pill-making machine. The US ambassador to Mexico issued a
statement in which he (perhaps controversially) identified the owner of the
house as being connected to a pharmaceutical company in Hong Kong, and stated
that that company is suspected of past attempts at drug smuggling.
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