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May 20 Vietnam Holds Conference on Combating Sex-Selection AbortionsVietnam Holds Conference on Combating Sex-Selection Abortions
by Steven Ertelt
 Hanoi, Vietnam (LifeNews.com) -- Two months after the Vietnamese government issued new fines hoping to prevent sex-selection abortions, the nation held a joint conference with a United Nations committee to discuss the problem. The United Nations Population Fund, criticized for supporting China's forced abortion policy, will help the Asian nation.
Vietnam as the same problem as other nations such as China, North Korea and India, where boys are preferred and girls fall victim to abortions and infanticides. To educate residents about the problem, the country held its first national symposium on gender imbalance issues on Tuesday. lan Howie, a UNFPA representative, attended the meeting and told the Viet Nam News about the problems there. "Gender-based abortions are a serious human rights violation that impedes development and worsens the socio-economic status of the entire nation -- not just girls and women," he said. "An imbalance of sexes fuels human trafficking and sexual exploitation," Howie added. "It endangers economic development and increases social instability as a growing population of men search for partners." The latest census in 1999 in Vietnam shows the boy-girl ratio at boys to 100 girls whereas 103 boys to girls is considered normal for most countries. There hasn't been any attempt to gather current data and the UNFPA will help Vietnam do that and plans to complete the process by 2009. "Vietnam's population dynamics have changed rapidly over the past decade, accompanying swift developments in the country's social and economic structures," Howie said, pointing to the need for new figures. In October, the government put in place new penalties including fines of up to 15 million Vietnamese Dong (about $975 US dollars) for any abortion done for sex-selection reasons. Anyone who uses force or threats to coerce a Vietnamese woman have an abortion for sex-selection reasons will be fined anywhere from VND 7 million to 15 million ($450-$750). The number of abortions in Vietnam has been staggeringly high for some time and a July report indicated that teenage girls there rely on abortion as a means of birth control. About 300,000 abortions are done in Vietnam annually and the local newspaper Labor reports that the nation's Health Ministry said most of them are on unmarried and younger women. The Obstetrics Hospital in Hanoi does about 20-30 abortions every day and the number of abortions on teens is on the rise. The paper said that teenagers are increasingly relying on abortion as a method of birth control and not using, or not knowing about, methods of contraception. The paper says about 20 percent of teenagers are actively having sexual relations without using any method of birth control. The nation plans to launch contraception educational campaigns in an attempt to lower the abortion rates. Meanwhile, one woman dies from a legal abortion in the Asian nation every five days. The local Pioneer newspaper reported in April that there are 83 abortions for every 1,000 Vietnamese women of the childbearing age. That compares with a birth rate of only 17 babies born per 1,000 women. The report said each local Vietnamese woman has approximately 2.5 abortions in her lifetime. About one-third to one-half of the abortions performed there are done in small health clinics but women are dying at an alarming rate. Vietnam has long had one of the highest abortion rates in both Asia and the world and the number of abortions has been on the rise. According to national health statistics, 760,000 abortions were carried out in 1989, 1.3 million in 1994 and 1.4 million in 1995. In 1999, the pro-abortion Alan Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood, reported that Vietnam had the highest abortion rate of any nation. While experts say the communist government does not espouse abortion as a birth control method, the procedure is "heavily subsidized by the government," and "many published family planning campaigns still list abortion as a method of birth control" according to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur news agency. Vietnam is one of two countries to receive an award from the United Nations in 1998 for its population control programs. In Vietnam, abortion is available as part of overall family planning services provided at various provincial, district and communal health facilities. Approximately 51 percent of the 83 million residents of Vietnam are women and, as of April, 26.4 percent of the nation's population is below the age of 15. VIETNAM ABORTION RATES VERY HIGH, ONE WOMAN DIES EVERY 5 DAYSVIETNAM ABORTION RATES VERY HIGH, ONE WOMAN DIES EVERY 5 DAYS
New reports out of Vietnam, where abortion is legal, are showing the number of abortions in the Communist nation is staggeringly high. In addition, one woman dies form a legal abortion in the Asian nation every five days.
The local Pioneer newspaper reported on Monday that there are 83 abortions for every 1,000 Vietnamese women of the childbearing age. That compares with a birth rate of only 17 babies born per 1,000 women. The report said each local Vietnamese woman has approximately 2.5 abortions in her lifetime. About one-third to one-half of the abortions performed there are done in small health clinics but women are dying at an alarming rate. The Vietnamese government is hoping to lower the abortion rates and is encouraging the 83 million people who live there to use contraception in higher numbers. It is also planning a new sex education campaign to encourage teens and young adults to use contraception as well. Vietnam has long had one of the highest abortion rates in both Asia and the world and the number of abortions has been on the rise. According to national health statistics, 760,000 abortions were carried out in 1989, 1.3 million in 1994 and 1.4 million in 1995. In 1999, the pro-abortion Alan Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood, reported that Vietnam had the highest abortion rate of any nation. While experts say the communist government does not espouse abortion as a birth control method, the procedure is "heavily subsidized by the government," and "many published family planning campaigns still list abortion as a method of birth control" according to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur news agency. Vietnam is one of two countries to receive an award from the United Nations in 1998 for its population control programs. In Vietnam, abortion is legal and available as part of overall family planning services provided at various provincial, district and communal health facilities. Approximately 51 percent of the residents of Viet Nam are women. [3Apr06, Hanoi, Vietnam LifeNews.com] VIETNAM BIRTH CONTROLVietnam Seeks to Modernize Its Methods of Birth Control
Concerned about a national shortage of condoms and its abortion rate--the highest in Asia--Vietnam is trying to revolutionize the way this densely populated nation looks at birth control.
For the last decade, Vietnam has made family planning a top priority and made admirable progress in curbing population growth. But birth control remains primitive, with abortion being the most common way to meet the Communist government's goal of limiting each family to two children. Although officially discouraged by the government, abortion has become so common in Vietnam that 40% of all pregnancies are terminated by the procedure, and on average every woman has 2.5 abortions in her lifetime, the Vietnam Institute of Sociology says. Most hospitals perform abortions for $3 and do not require the patient to provide any information about herself. Condoms are in such short supply that smuggling them from China has become a hot business. So now the government is stepping in. It has opened Vietnam's first condom factory in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, and is subsidizing the cost--condoms sell for 10 cents each--to make the contraceptives affordable to all. It also is using billboards and TV spots to push condoms as a desirable alternative to abortion. Until its recent change of heart, the government had been reluctant to promote condoms because it associated them with casual sex, prostitution and homosexuality--sensitive subjects in this conservative society. Its new direction, including soliciting funds from the United Nations to subsidize the sale of 100 million condoms over the next four years, underscores the importance to the government of reining in population growth. "We consider it one of our most important national issues," said Phan Thanh Tram, head of the women's studies department at the Women's Union, a government-sponsored organization. "If we don't have reasonable population growth, we can never develop economically or sustain our development." Other countries in heavily populated Southeast Asia are also trying to limit the size of families. The only exceptions are Malaysia, which, with 20 million people, considers itself underpopulated, and the Philippines, which is predominantly Roman Catholic. In 1961, Vietnam was one of the world's first developing countries to formulate a family planning program. But Government Decree 216 was tough to enforce and became sidetracked by the Vietnam War--for which Hanoi needed more young men, not fewer. The casualties Vietnam suffered in the war left the country with a gender imbalance, 51 women for every 49 men. "We weren't too successful at first," said Tran Tien Duc of the government's National Committee for Population and Family Planning. "We didn't have experience in selling family planning to the people, and such things are a very personal matter. Then the war came in 1965, and we had more pressing issues to deal with."
Today, Vietnamese officials know that the nation's population--57% of which is younger than 25--is a potential time bomb. The population has doubled to 76 million since 1970 and could reach 150 million within a generation, Duc said. The social and economic strains of such an increase would appear certain to dash the government's goal to transform Vietnam into an industrialized nation with a modern economy and a per capita income of $2,000--nearly seven times the current level--by 2020. The family planning program, however, is already paying dividends. The average number of children born to each woman between the ages of 15 and 49 dropped to 2.7 in 1997 from 3.8 in 1989, the government says. Hanoi has strengthened its family planning policy by decreeing that government employees who have more than two children can lose their jobs or be forced to give up some perks. Those who have a third child must pay a one-time tax of about $12. Because sons are more valued than daughters--sons help support their parents, but daughters go off and become part of another family--it is not unusual for a couple with daughters to keep trying to conceive a son. By David Lamb May 18 Break Out from the Vicious Circle of AnxietyBreak Out!
Break Out from the Vicious Circle of Anxiety
I have worked as a counselling psychologist for over ten years. One of the most common problems that people consult me on is anxiety when the source of that anxiety is unclear to them. When people are anxious about specific things in the world, like dogs, spiders or other people's negative reactions, then at least the person knows what he or she is anxious about. However, a lot of people are anxious about being anxious and this is so common and yet so frequently misunderstood that such lack of knowledge leads to more anxiety.
Anxiety about anxiety occurs when you first experience a fearful reaction, say, while shopping, riding in a lift, driving in a car or even in your home. Having experienced this anxiety (problem 1) you begin to become anxious in case you get anxious again (problem 2). This double-barrelled situation is the breeding ground for the development of your vicious circle of anxiety from which you find it so difficult to escape. Understanding this process is the first step to solving the problem. Let me explain this vicious circle in greater detail. Once you have experienced anxiety "for no good reason," you then bring an anxious attitude to the prospect of getting anxious. You think something like "Wouldn't it be terrible if I got anxious." Thinking in this way actually leads to anxiety. You then notice your anxiety and think something like "Oh my god, I'm getting anxious." This leads to increased anxiety which triggers a further thought like "Oh my god, I'm losing control. What if I faint (or panic, have a heart attack or act crazily); wouldn't that be terrible!" Anxiety is again heightened which leads to more anxious "thinking" and so on. Now this pattern occurs incredibly quickly and you probably are only aware of a building sense of panic. In addition, you may be one of a large number of people who "overbreathe" when you get anxious. This means that you take in too much oxygen and feel, paradoxically, that you need to breath in more air, whereas you actually need less. "Overbreathing" leads to such sensations as tingling, faintness, giddiness and heart palpitations. Without knowing this, you may consider that these sensations are evidence that there really is something wrong with you and "that would be awful." This though leads to more anxiety and the vicious circle continues. Without the presence of the anxious attitude of "wouldn't it be terrible," panic would probably not occur even if you tend to overbreathe so it is this anxious attitude that you need to identify and change if the seeds of problem solution are to be sown. However, very few people understand this and therefore this explanation is not common knowledge. As such, what you may have done is to avoid situations where you fear you might be anxious. If you don't avoid these situations you may continue to face the anxiety-provoking situation by using a number of common techniques which are designed to distract yourself from your anxiety (e.g. relaxation, counting to ten, drinking, etc). These can be helpful in the short-term but more often do not solve the problem and in the case of the use of alcohol to quell anxiety it is positively hazardous. What can be done? First, distinguish between the attitudes of "uncomfortable" and "terrible." Terrible probably means to you literally the end of the world. Anxiety is not the end of the world. It is uncomfortable, damned uncomfortable at times, but it is not terrible unless you define it as such. If you do define anxiety as terrible then you will take another trip around your vicious circle. So first if you get anxious you have to show yourself that anxiety is uncomfortable, bad, inconvenient but it is not dangerous and it is not the end of the world. Second, show yourself this in the situation you have tended to shy away from. This sounds simple and it is BUT IT IS NOT EASY! Remember this distinction, it is an important one. You have trained yourself to think that anxiety is terrible and your body reacts to this definition. It is going to take some time for you to retrain yourself and think that anxiety is damned uncomfortable but not terrible. And it will take longer for your body to react to your new definition. Third, I have found that the following principle I developed some years ago to be very useful. I call it "challenging but not overwhelming." By this I mean that if you believe that a situation would be overwhelming for you, then it is perhaps better not to face it yet. But it would be a mistake to go very gradually and only do things that you can do comfortably. Overcoming anxiety means tolerating discomfort so it is important to face and not shy away from feeling uncomfortable. So choose to start with an experience you will find a challenge. If you don't succeed with this, remember that is unfortunate, not "terrible." Keep applying this principle of "challenging but not overwhelming." Choose a challenging situation, face it and practice the attitude of "anxiety is damned uncomfortable but not terrible" while you are facing it. If you fear panicking remember that panic (or a "ten" as sufferers call it) lasts only for a very short time even though it seems endless at the time. So use the same attitude to panic. "If I panic, I panic, that's damned unfortunate but not terrible." Now I want to cover one important feature which a large number of my clients have said is also involved in this circle. If you fear that you may act stupidly, crazily and will attract other people's scornful attention as a result, first realize that this is unlikely to happen. However, a better solution is to imagine that this will happen and practice another anti-anxiety attitude. Now if you have this fear it is likely that you believe that if you act stupidly or crazily then this proves you are worthless (useless, stupid, a fool or whatever word you personally use to condemn yourself.) If other people then scorn you this is not the problem. It is your agreement with their reaction that is the problem. You think "If they think I'm stupid they're right I am." So, once again, it is your attitude towards yourself that is the problem here. Now what you need to ask yourself is this: "Am I worthless, useless, etc., for acting this way, or am I a fallible human being (and equal to others) with a problem?" I hope you realize that you are the latter. If a good friend acted stupidly in public would you condemn them, or would you adopt a compassionate attitude of acceptance towards them? Most probably you would accept them. But they are human like you. So you can practice the accepting attitude toward yourself. "If I act stupidly that would be bad but I'm a fallible human being with a problem." My clients report that this attitude helps them realize that first they are not that likely to act stupidly, etc; second, even if they did act stupidly, other people probably would not condemn them; and third, even if other people did condemn them then this would not be the end of the world. If you do tend to "overbreathe" it is important that you gain control of your breathing. This requires a lot of practice and is best done initially under the supervision of a knowledgeable person such as a clinical or counselling psychologist. Controlled breathing involves your taking smooth, slow, regular and fairly shallow (not deep!) breaths. Breathe in through you nose and out though you mouth in regular (in-out) cycles. Twelve such cycles per minute is often helpful, but find your own comfortable breathing rhythm. These cycles regulate the amount of oxygen you take in so that you do not experience the tingling, fainting and giddy sensations (as well as palpitations, etc.) which are associated with "overbreathing." Applying these anti-anxiety attitudes and techniques like controlled breathing does unfortunately require lots of practice but I have seen many of my clients make steady progress (setbacks do occur and are to be expected) and I predict if you closely follow these guidelines you will also learn to escape from your own vicious circle of anxiety. Windy Dryden, Ph.D. , Dept. of Psychology , Goldsmiths College
May 07 About BuddhismAbout Buddhism
The greatest achievement is selflessness. Atisha (11th century Tibetan Buddhist master) The PreceptsThe Precepts The precepts are a condensed form of Buddhist ethical practice. They are often compared with the ten commandments of Christianity, however, the precepts are different in two respects: First, they are to be taken as recommendations, not commandments. This means the individual is encouraged to use his/her own intelligence to apply these rules in the best possible way. Second, it is the spirit of the precepts -not the text- that counts, hence, the guidelines for ethical conduct must be seen in the larger context of the Eightfold Path. The first five precepts are mandatory for every Buddhist, although the fifth precept is often not observed, because it bans the consumption of alcohol. Precepts no. six to ten are laid out for those in preparation for monastic life and for devoted lay people unattached to families. The eight precepts put together number eight and nine and omit the tenth. Lay people may observe the eight precepts on Buddhist festival days. Ordained Theravada monks undertake no less than 227 precepts, which are not listed here.
(adapted from The Word of the Buddha, Niyamatolika, The Buddhist Publication Society, 1971, p xii) The above phrasing of the precepts is very concise and leaves much open to interpretation. One might ask, for example, what exactly constitutes false speech, what are untimely meals, what constitutes sexual misconduct, or whether a glass of wine causes heedlessness. And, the grotesque mime watching of the seventh precept sounds perhaps a bit outdated. The Buddhist master Thich Nath Hanh has formulated The Five Mindfulness Trainings, which are an adaptation of the first five Buddhist precepts. These are practised by Buddhists of the Lam Te Dhyana school. By virtue of their sensible phrasing and their relevance to modern lifestyle, these "trainings" provide a valuable foundation of ethics for all of humanity. The Five Mindfulness Trainings -First Training- Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life. -Second Training- Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to cultivate loving kindness and learn ways to work for the well-being of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am committed to practice generosity by sharing my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in real need. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others. I will respect the property of others, but I will prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth. -Third Training- Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivate responsibility and learn ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society. I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without love and a long-term commitment. To preserve the happiness of myself and others, I am determined to respect my commitments and the commitments of others. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct. -Fourth Training- Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to learn to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy, and hope. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to criticise or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord, or that can cause the family or the community to break. I will make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small. -Fifth Training- Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivate good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practising mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I am committed to ingest only items that preserve peace, well-being, and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society. I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins, such as certain TV programs, magazines, books, films, and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body or my consciousness with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my society, and future generations. I will work to transform violence, fear, anger, and confusion in myself and in society by practising a diet for myself and for society. I understand that a proper diet is crucial for self-transformation and for the transformation of society. |
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