Coincidence Of Child Deformities In Iraqi Town Of Falluja?

A baby born with two heads, many with multiple tumours and others with extensive damage to the central nervous system.

It sounds like the kind of horror to be found in the plot of a science fiction film but is, in reality, what is happening in the Iraqi town of Falluja.

The level of chronic deformities in infants is up to fifteen times what was considered to have be 'normal' and the health authorities are struggling to cope. Falluja General Hospital used to see two admissions every fortnight but now they have two admissions every day.

It seems hard to believe it is just coincidence that the town, which was the setting of one of the fiercest battles of the Iraq war, is now showing such abnormalities occurring amongst its young.

One can only speculate on the nature of the weapons deployed in the battle (I am sure the US will not be forthcoming with any answers) but it seems their effects will not be easily forgotten!

Queuing For The Right To Die!

Today, I was shocked to learn that over eight hundred people in the UK have added their names to a waiting list - to die.

They are queueing to attend special clinics in Switzerland, where the law permits assisted suicides and where they will be helped to end their lives with dignity.

Of course, most of these people are suffering from terminal illnesses and they do not want to remain in the UK where the present law forbids assisting in the ending of a life. They do not want to cause undue suffering on themselves or their loved ones, by waiting for the inevitable to run its course; they want to end their lives while they still have some control.

The House of Lords is presently debating whether UK law should be changed to allow assisted suicides to be made legal here. The reality, is that for years, many doctors have been assisting in speeding up the ending process. It is not done officially but is achieved through prescribing heavier than needed doses of drugs to those with little hope of living a quality life and who deserve some compassion and humanity.

Predictably, many of those of a religious nature are outraged at the possibility of assisted suicides becoming legal. They frequently argue their point, by mentioning the 'word of God' and by saying no-one has the right to decide their own end - except, of course, the Good Lord himself.

I do not know whether there really is a God or not. For me it is purely an academic argument.

I do know, there is a suffering that many people do not deserve to experience and if they can find a peaceful way to end their pain, they should surely be given the ultimate decision over their own destiny.

The act of suicide is not, as many would argue, a cowardly one.

To decide to cross the point of no return takes incredible courage and determination. It is not an attention seeking exercise but a final act of desperation and we should, surely, try to respect the views and the wishes of those who feel they no longer have a choice.

Jade's Tribute From The PM

Jade Goody has finally passed away and it is sad. It is a huge loss for her immediate family and an even greater tragedy, for her young sons, that she died on Mothering Sunday.

What I still do not understand, is why her death warrants a tribute from the prime minister. Thousands of women die unnecessarily from this terrible disease every year and it seems wrong, that just because Jade managed to attract the attention of the press and its readers, she should be singled out for special attention from the PM.

Of course, she has been praised for raising awareness among young women about the necessity to be screened for signs of cervical cancer. That, though, was a by-product of the press fever over her dying days, for which her publicist negotiated huge sums to be put into trust for her children's future. It was not a selfless act, but a money making opportunity - albeit too late for her personally.

I do not blame Jade for making the most, financially at least, of her final days. I do, however, blame the ghoulish press and its readers for turning her death into a public event. As I have written in an earlier post, I consider it has removed the dignity from her dying days.

Which brings me back to the prime minister's tribute. If Jade Goody had not attracted so much attention and been the subject of special tribute editions of celebrity magazines, would Gordon Brown even have known who she was? I can only conclude his remarks are just a cynical attempt to attract votes by riding on the back of the massive wave of publicity, her demise has created.

Whatever his motives, I hope that Jade is now truly able to rest in peace and that the celebrity circus is finally able to leave town!