The Parents Zone

Almost every woman’s joy in life is to have a child and because the continuity of humanity is necessary, the right to life is a renowned human right as well as the right to maternal health. Yet a good number of women have to undertake childbirth as risky affair one indulges in.

In developing countries, the thought of reproduction is very disturbing. In Uganda for instance the rate of fertility is high but is juxtaposed by the high rate of both mother and child mortality. T

Read full post…

THURSDAY, July 14 (HealthDay News) — Chemicals called phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA) that are found in solvents, plastics and numerous household products may alter levels of thyroid hormones in the body, according to a new study.

Thyroid hormones play a role in many critical bodily functions, including reproduction and metabolism.

Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health used data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to compare thyroid levels and traces of phthalates and BPA in urine samples of 1,346 adults and 329 teenagers.

Read full post…

Antismoking advocates have pressed movie makers to cut smoking from films that can be seen by kids, arguing the evidence shows Hollywood’s aura encourages children to light up.

And the long-running campaign is paying off.

On-screen depictions of smoking in popular movies rated G, PG, and PG-13, dropped 72 percent to 595 in 2010 compared with 2,093 in 2010 2005.

Filmmakers with public policies to reduce smoking in films showed the steepest declines, with a drop of 96 percent per movie over the five-year period, compared with a 42 percent reduction for the companies that didn’t have published policies.

The companies weren’t named in the study paper, which appears in the latest issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Associated Press reports that the three with policies to reduce smoking are:

• Time Warner (Warner Bros.);
• Comcast (Universal and Focus Features); and
• Walt Disney Company (Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone, Pixar and Buena Vista.)

The big companies without policies are:

• News Corp.

Read full post…

Rev. Jesse Jackson is on witness list for Akron mother jailed for illegally sending her daughters to Copley school district Rev. Jesse Jackson

AKRON, Ohio — The Department of Rehabilitation & Corrections in Columbus said Thursday that Rev. Jesse Jackson is on the witness list for Kelley Williams-Bolar, the 40-year-old Akron mother who served nine days in jail in January after a jury found her guilty of falsifying government documents — including using her father’s address — to enroll her two daughters in the highly-regarded Copley-Fairlawn school district.

DRC spokesman Carlo LoParo said Jackson is on the Williams-Bolar clemency hearing list along with attorneys and family members.

Read full post…