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Pope Criticizes Birth Control As Poor Economic Policy
Pope Benedict XVI, as part of a 144-page encyclical critiquing the international economic system, argues that the use of birth control is poor economic policy, the Washington Post reports. According to the document, birth control is not only immoral but also harmful to the economy because it narrows the "brain pool" of qualified labor. The document makes similar arguments about abortion.The document was released ahead of Wednesday"s Group of Eight industrialized nations summit, which will focus on the world economy. According to the Post, the timing of the document"s release indicates that Benedict "aims to insert his voice into that discussion by focusing on the moral underpinnings of the meltdown" (Salmon, Washington Post, 7/8).

Florida Moves To Increase Health Insurance For Children
Capitol News Service reports that an estimated 50,000 additional uninsured children may receive medical coverage from legislation that Gov. Charlie Crist signed Tuesday. "The Kid Care program offers low cost insurance to children up to ages 19. But penalties and a lengthy application process have kept thousand of families out," Capitol News Service reports. "The legislation shortens the waiting time to enroll in the state"s Kid Care program and lessens the penalties for missing a premium payment." Children"s advocates have been pushing for the legislation for three years and call it a good start. The program enrolls 1.5 million children, but a lack of advertising money has hindered its ability to "spread the word" further (Ray, 6/2).
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U.N. System Lacks 'Serious Focus On Gender' Issues, Opinion Piece Says
"The most lamentable and heart-breaking dimension of multilateralism" is the "absence of any serious focus on gender throughout" the United Nations system, Stephen Lewis, founder of AIDS-Free World, writes in a London Independent opinion piece. He adds, "I can cite chapter and verse, but let me start by telling you that whether it is poverty alleviation, or HIV and AIDS, or sexual violence and conflict, the whole panoply of discrimination visited on women around the world, particularly in developing countries, the U.N."s agencies and the Secretariat have been profoundly delinquent in their response."According to Lewis, the "struggle for gender equality has become the most important struggle on the planet; the continuing marginalization of 52% of the world"s population is simply unacceptable." He adds, "So we"re now engaged in an effort to create a new international agency for women, a fascinating undertaking that I hope will engage" governments. "Nothing approximates the possibility of finally having a vehicle that would give voice and res and support to the struggles of women around the world," Lewis writes, adding, "Everyone knows what"s happening in these areas about women"s vulnerability but there is never a consistent voice to bring it to the attention of the world community, to continue to hammer it home, to demand action from government." He concludes, "So the emergence and creation of a women"s agency I think would be a godsend internationally and would overcome the record of the United Nations on gender" (Lewis, Independent, 5/22).
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Iron Supplements Safe For Children At Risk Of Malaria

Iron supplements do not increase the likelihood of contracting malaria and should not be withheld from children at risk of the disease, despite World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines to the contrary, a new review by Cochrane Researchers suggests. "Based on our review, children should not be denied iron supplements, even if they are living in areas where malaria is prevalent," says lead researcher, Juliana Ojukwu of the Department of Paediatrics at the Ebonyi State University in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. "Iron is important for growth and development, and maintaining a healthy immune system." Until 2007, WHO guidelines recommended that all children should be given iron supplements to help prevent iron deficiency and anaemia, which are significant public health problems in developing countries. It is estimated that iron deficiency is the cause of 726,000 childhood deaths each year. However, a recent large trial in Zanzibar prompted the WHO to change its guidelines, which now recommend that iron supplements are withheld from children under two years in areas where they are at high risk of contracting malaria. The argument against giving iron is that it could help promote the growth of malarial parasites circulating in the blood. In response to this, Cochrane researchers reviewed data from 68 different trials involving 42,981 children. They concluded that iron did not increase the risk of malaria, as long as regular malaria surveillance and treatment services were available, and that there should not be any need to screen for anaemia before giving supplements. They say WHO guidelines rely too heavily a single recent trial, whereas this current research drew its conclusions after giving appropriate weight to a wide range of studies. Although the benefits of giving iron are greater for children with anaemia, any decision to withhold iron supplements should be carefully considered. "Any potential negative effects of giving iron have to be weighed against the quite serious implications of not giving it, namely anaemia and its contribution to childhood infection and death, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa," says Ojukwu. Jennifer Beal Wiley-Blackwell


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