Tag: Romania

Adriana Iliescu Gives Birth at 66 — Good for Her

Some people were apparently horrified at the thought of 66-year-old Adriana Iliescu becoming apparently the oldest woman to ever give birth thanks to fertility treatments which she underwent for nine years before giving birth to Eliza Maria Iliescu in January.

For feminists like Ellen Goodman, the birth was a morality tale about the horrors of women forced to put aside children to get ahead in their careers. Goodman, in fact, seems to be under the impression that no one ever worked 70 hour weeks in their 30s until women entered the work force.

Medical ethicists did their standard, annoying hand wringing. Romanian authorities initiated an ethics investigation of Iliescu’s doctor. University of Calgary professor Chloe Atkins, who apparently specializes in medical ethics, told the Calgary Sun,

Personally, I think in that case, it was a very selfish decision. She probably won?t be around for much of the child?s life.

Atkins would like to see economic and health-related factors used to restrict fertility treatments. Because nobody with poor long-term health prospects or income ever had a baby before Iliescu. The selfish line is often used but also a bit odd, since I suspect that the overwhelming majority of children who are intentionally conceived and born for purely selfish reasons (namely that their parents selfishly decide that they want to be parents).

I think this was an unmitigated good with absolutely no downside. Anytime we can figure out how to bring new people into the world to loving parents, there simply are no drawbacks. Bravo to Ms. Iliescu.

Source:

World’s oldest mother becomes dubious poster ‘elder’ for having it all. Ellen Goodman, Detroit News, March 4, 2005.

‘World’s oldest mum’ raps critics. The BBC, January 19, 2005.

?Selfish? mom spurs age debate? Andrea Radke, Calgary Sun, January 21, 2005.

UK Considers Requiring "Domestic Animal" Label of Some Furs

According to The Independent (London), Great Britain’s Trade and Industry Secretary is considering rules that would require a “domestic animal” label on furs that are made from the fur of dogs and cats.

The United States banned the import, export or sale, of clothes made of cat or dog fur after Burlington Coat Factory sold coats that turned out to contain dog fur. Great Britain apparently currently has no law banning such furs nor requiring labelling.

The Independent quotes Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock as pushing for the rules. Hancock told The Independent,

Cat and dog fur is a cheaper option than other fur and is being used all over Europe. I am sure it’s being sold in Britain and I have spoken to traders abroad in countries like Bulgaria and Romania where there is a massive stray dog problem and their fur is routinely used. This fur is being passed off as Siberian fox or rabbit fur and people have no idea it is from dogs and cats.

Source:

Fur clothes to be given ‘domestic animal’ label. Marie Woolf, The Independent (London), June 20, 2003.

European Commission Surveys Opinions of Animal Research in EU Candidate Countries

The Scientist recently reported on the results of a European Commission survey of public opinions of science in 13 countries that are candidates for European Union membership. The goal of the survey was to compare opinions in candidate countries with those of existing EU countries.

The 13 countries surveyed by Gallup were Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey. A total of 12,274 adults from those countries were surveyed, and asked the following question about research involving animals,

And could you please tell me if you tend to agree or disagree with each of the following statements? Scientists should be allowed to experiment on animals like dogs and monkeys if this can help sort out human health problems.

Here’s how the answers broke down for each country,

Country

Agree

Disagree
Bulgaria
74
8
Cyprus
73
15
Czech Republic
54
31
Estonia
61
26
Hungary
71
22
Latvia
64
27
Lithuania
62
23
Malta
47
43
Poland
62
26
Romania
58
20
Slovakia
57
28
Slovenia
40
41
Turkey
65
17

The survey also offered an interesting insight into possible motivations/explanations for support of animal rights. This was just one question in a long series of questions about all aspects of science, including a number of questions designed to test the level of scientific knowledge of the individual being polled. Individuals polled were given a short quiz where they were read sentences such as “The oxygen we breathe comes from plants” or “Electrons are smaller than atoms” and then pronounce each sentence as true or false.

In comparing the answers to those questions with the answers about use of animals, there was a tendency for those with little knowledge of science to oppose animal research,

The analysis showed that this attitude is correlated to the degree of scientific knowledge possessed: people scoring high on the scientific knowledge scale are much more likely to find animal experiments justifiable if they are aimed at resolving human health problems (68%), while those who don’t know much about science are much less likely to agree (52%).

Compared to the current EU countries, the 13 candidate countries are far more supportive of medical research on animals.

A survey of the 15 countries that make up the European Union found that only 45 percent agreed that “Scientists should be allowed to experiment on animals like dogs and monkeys if this can help sort out human health problems,” while 41 percent disagreed. Overall, 63 percent of people in the candidate countries agreed with the animal research question, compared to just 22 percent disagreeing.

As Richard Ley of the British Pharmaceutical Industry told The Scientist, this could lead to medical research firms leaving existing European Union countries for the much more accepting climate in candidate countries,

This is a danger. The violence, harassment and intimidation activities of some animal extremists are bound to make companies look at the wisdom of continuing animal research in an environment where that is permitted.

Sources:

Opinions on science in wider Europe. The Scientist, April 3, 2003.

Candidate Countries Eurobarometer: Public Opinion in the Countries Applying for European Union Membership. European Commission, January 2003.

”Europeans and Biotechnology” Survey of Public Perception – EU. Animal Biotechnology, April 1, 2003.

Romania Institutes Breed-Specific Bans

The BBC recenlty reported that Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase announced an emergency decree banning breeds of dogs considered dangerous.

This is the result of several high profile attacks upon children by dogs, including pit bull terriers.

But the ban highlights the problem with breed-specific bans. The problem is not the breed but rather that owning aggressive dogs is apparently considered a status symbol among some Romanian men.

Source:

Romania bans dangerous dogs. The BBC, April 26, 2002.