News
This page provides access to news stories related to many issues in pediatrics as those issues have the potential to inform and affect ethical pracitce and research.
[see also the Noteworthy Stories section]
Section Editor:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Assistant Professor of Radiology
Harvard Medical School
Children's Hospital Boston
PEC Newsletter - Spring 2010
Check out the latest infromation about the Pediatric Ethics Consortium and related topics.
A pdf of the Spring 2010 PEC Newsletter is available here - PEC Spring 2010 Newsletter
Lifestyles
Lifestyle and Health
Study: Hearing loss increases in U.S. Teens
NPR, 8/17/10
Smoking
Tobacco funds shrink as obesity fight intensifies
New York Times, 7/27/10
Whether a child lights up, or chows down
New York Times, 7/9/10
"If you had to choose one public health problem to attack, which would it be: teenage smoking or childhood obesity?"
Goal for high school smoking is unmet
New York Times, 7/9/10
"The nation has failed to reach its 2010 health goal of reducing high school smoking to 16 percent, federal officials said Thursday in a report calling for a resurgence of antismoking advertising to counter the tobacco industry’s $12 billion marketing campaign."
A recent marketing campaign for Camel cigarettes appears to have attracted the interest of teen girls, a study shows
Study: Camel No. 9 Cigarette Ads Appeal to Teen Girls
USAtoday.com, 3/15/10
Teen Girls Say Pink Camel in Cigarette Ad Caught Their Eye
MedlinePlus.com, 3/15/10
Sports
For children in sports, a breaking point
New York Times, May 24, 2010
"Encouraged by parents and coaches, many with visions of glory and scholarships, too many young athletes are being pushed — or are pushing themselves — to the point of breaking down, physically and sometimes emotionally."
Kids and Meds
Younger kids in class may be overdiagnosed with ADHD
NPR, 8/17/10
Johnson and Johnson recalls children's medicines
WSJ, 5/2/10
Prescription drug use by US children on the rise
1-in-4 children took drugs for chronic conditions in '09
Reuters, May, 19, 2010
Disabilities
News events relating to disabilities
Spokane father won't force deaf daughter to wear required cochlear implants
The News Tribune / Health News, April 29, 2010
Parenting
Items discussing the roles, responsibilities, and challenges of parenting
Parents, do you know what these texts mean?
CNN Health, 8/26/2010
Crack babies defy mother's curse: Despite dire predictions, most are now thriving adults
MSNBC/Washington Post, 4/15/2010
A review of the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure among school-aged children
Pediatrics, 2010 Mar;125(3):554-65
Prenatal drug exposure: infant and toddler outcomes.
J Addict Dis 2010 Apr;29(2):245-58
A Heroine of Cocktail Moms Sobers Up
New York Times, 8/14/09
Grandkin take on more kids: Older generation becomes safety net
Charlotte Post, 9/10/09
Child Abuse
Items discussing the ethical issues and myriad facets of child abuse
The Lost Children of Haiti
60 Minutes; CBS News / July 11, 2010
Teen Parents Battle Over Life Support for Baby Daughter
ABC News / Health, April 15, 2010
Accused stepfather fights to keep girl alive
Boston Globe, November 6, 2005
Pakistan Flooding
Millions of Pakistani kids risk waterborne disease
Associated Press / Aug 29, 2010
Cholera follows pakistan floods; Six million face crisis
NPR (Weekend Edition Sunday) / Aug 15, 2010
Healthcare Reform
Articles about healthcare reform and children
Health care reform bill 101: What does it mean for kids and families?
Christian Science Monitor, 3/22/10
The top stakeholders in health reform
Boston Globe, 9/09/09 (Op/ed by Senators Daschle and Danforth)
Teen smoking and targeted advertising
A recent marketing campaign for Camel cigarettes appears to have attracted the interest of teen girls, a study shows
Study: Camel No. 9 Cigarette Ads Appeal to Teen Girls
USAtoday.com, 3/15/10
Teen Girls Say Pink Camel in Cigarette Ad Caught Their Eye
MedlinePlus.com, 3/15/10
Fetal Pain Controversy
Articles on the issue of fetal pain in relationship to proposed abortion legislation (Februruary 2010) as well as research on fetal pain from 2005.
Fetal pain measure being heard
Omaha World Herald (Omaha. com), 2/25/10
Proposed Abortion Bill Focused on When Fetus Feels Pain
ABCNews.com, 2/25/10
The First Ache
New York Times Magazine, 2/10/08
Fetal Pain: A Systematic Multidisciplinary Review of the Evidence
JAMA. 2005;294:947-954.
H1N1 in the News
Articles about the spread and effects of H1N1 during the Fall of 2009.
Up to 5.7 mln US swine flu cases in four months: study
Google/AFP, 10/29/2009
Worst Case: Choosing Who Survives in a Flu Epidemic
NY Times, 10/25/2009
CDC: Seventy-Six U.S. Children Have Died From H1N1 Flu
Wall Street Journal, 10/09/2009
Fertility and Living Standards
Go forth and multiply a lot less
Lower fertility is changing the world for the better
Sometime in the next few years (if it hasn't happened already) the world will reach a milestone: half of humanity will be having only enough children to replace itself. That is, the fertility rate of half the world will be 2.1 or below.
17,000 Child Deaths Linked to Lack of Insurance Kids without coverage are more apt to die while hospitalized, study finds
Up to 5.7 million people in the United States may have been infected with swine flu in the first four months of the outbreak, or more than 100 times the number of laboratory-confirmed cases that were reported, a study said Thursday
In Study, Unnecessary Suffering After Tonsil Surgery
Children who have their tonsils removed are known to experience significant pain after surgery, but they might suffer unnecessarily because they get inadequate pain relief they need once they are sent home, a new study reports
Circumcision debate grows as CDC and doctors weigh benefits, risks
Dr. Nancy Cossler, an OB-GYN at University Hospitals MacDonald Women's Hospital, typically performs circumcisions a few times a week. How Cossler talks about circumcision to parents who are uncertain about the procedure has changed over the past 20 years.