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Opinion Pieces Examine Recent Public Opinion Polls On Abortion
Two newspapers recently published opinion pieces on abortion-related public opinion polls. Summaries appear below.~ Steven Kull, Baltimore Sun: Although "many Americans feel morally conflicted about" abortion, it is a "common error to believe that the American electorate is deeply divided about how the government should deal with" the procedure, Kull -- director of WorldPublicOpinion.org and the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland -- writes in a Sun opinion piece. He adds that "there is substantial consensus that the government should not criminalize abortion." According to Kull, a new CNN poll found that 68% of respondents believe Roe v. Wade should not be overturned, and a recent WorldPublicOpinion.org poll found that when asked, "Do you think the government should be involved in trying to discourage abortion or do you think the government should leave these matters to the individual," 69% said that the matter should be left to the individual. Kull adds that "of the 29% who said that the government should be involved in trying to discourage abortions, a remarkably low 8% favored using criminal enforcement methods." According to Kull, other polls have found if "given a middle option -- somewhere between strict prohibition and government permission -- a significant number will choose it." Kull writes that "once the moral question is differentiated from the question of how the government should act, it does appear that there is substantial consensus that abortion should not be criminalized." He concludes, "Once the option of criminal enforcement is taken off the table, constructive options are more likely to emerge and can be an effective focus for the energies freed up from the incessant debates about abortion" (Kull, Baltimore Sun, 5/22).~ Cheryl Wetzstein, Washington Times: "It"s rather ironic that as the most pro-choice government in U.S. history settles into its seats," a Gallup poll "finds that most Americans are pro-life," columnist Wetzstein writes in a Times opinion piece. She adds, "Some observers have tried to pooh-pooh this result, but it doesn"t surprise me for two reasons." Wetzstein writes that her "experience with youth, both personally and professionally, is that they often recoil at abortion," adding, "So I find a pro-life trend in youth to be quite plausible." She continues, "Second, I think some aging baby boomers are changing their views," adding, "People generally become more conservative and self-reflective with age. Legacies matter. Hindsight is 20/20. Regrets appear." Wetzstein concludes, "My suspicion is that in more than a few cases, baby boomers who were willing to have abortions are not at ease with the idea of losing their grandchildren," adding, "It may be that in the autumn of life, being "pro-life" has a whole new meaning" (Wetzstein, Washington Times, 5/26).
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Study Suggests Smoking May Worsen MS
A new study has revealed a possible link between smoking and more rapid progression of disability in multiple sclerosis (MS).
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Local Meeting Held In California To Discuss HIV/AIDS Spending Priorities In Face Of Proposed State Budget Cuts
The Inland Empire HIV Planning Council, an agency that makes HIV/AIDS policy in Riverside and San Bernardino counties in California, has begun a three-day summit, where they will determine how funds - primarily from HHS - will be spent, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports. The council, which oversees spending of more than $7 million for HIV/AIDS care and treatment in the counties, said proposed cuts to HIV/AIDS programs and Medi-Cal at the state level "could affect funding and treatment priorities set by the agency," the article states. Joe Acosta, co-chair of the council said they are looking for ways to make up for the expected shortfalls. The council distributes money to about a half dozen agencies in San Bernardino and Riverside counties that provide services to more than 6,800 HIV/AIDS patients, Acosta said" (Hines, 7/18).
Mental Health

The UJI Is Working To Develop A Digital Analysis System Of Multispectral Images That Allows Melanoma To Be Distinguished From Other Kinds Of Diseases

The Computer Vision research group at the Universitat Jaume I of CastellÃö is working with the Hospitals Consortium of CastellÃö to develop a digital analysis system of multispectral images to help physicians distinguish melanoma from other kinds of skin diseases. A cooperation agreement has been signed by UJI, the University-Business Foundation and the CastellÃö Provincial Hospital Foundation to implement this project. The research project entitled "Characterisation of melanoma through spectral imaging" will be carried out by physicians of the Oncology, Surgery and Dermatology Departments of the CastellÃö Provincial Hospital, led by surgeon Enrique BoldÃö and technicians from the Department of Computer Languages and Systems, directed by Professor Filiberto Pla. They will create a database with multispectral images of melanomas and will select the multispectral bands for their subsequent study and classification. The first stage includes the analysis of dermoscopic images of melanomas and benign lesions to determine whether the distinctive features might be identified by a computer. The second stage includes a dermoscopy during the patient"s visit to the dermatologist and a spectrography during visits to oncology surgeons to later compare both results and check them against the pathologic anatomy. The objective is to determine what substances can be applied on the melanoma to facilitate its spectrographic analysis, and what multispectral features help diagnose melanomas. All this is carried out with the aim of creating an application software to improve medical assistance. According to Dr. BoldÃö, melanoma is the most widespread tumour worldwide and, in the early nineties, CastellÃö was the Spanish province with the highest mortality rate among the masculine population. The CastellÃö Provincial Hospital has developed innovative techniques to treat melanomas such as surgery guided by radioisotopes and the sentry node, as well as the melanoma vaccination prepared with the patient"s own tumour cells. Furthermore, the Consortium of Hospitals and its Foundation are conducting a study in collaboration with the Spanish Centre of Oncology Research (CNIO) to know the genetic characteristics of patients from CastellÃö with melanoma. This study will enhance the effectiveness of treatments as it will no longer depend on data of patients from other countries or other parts of Spain. Universitat Jaume I


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