First Links – 8.4.10

Over 200 Military Physicians Petition for No Abortion on Military Bases

Over 200 active and retired military physicians have signed a letter organized by the 16,000-member Christian Medical Association (CMA), in which they ask Senators to vote against the FY 2011 National Defense Authorization Act, unless an amendment permitting abortions to be performed on military bases is stripped from the bill.

Clergy Members Suffer From Burnout, Poor Health

Priests, ministers, rabbis and imams are generally driven by a sense of duty to answer calls for help. But research shows that in many cases, they rarely find time for themselves. Members of the clergy suffer from higher rates of depression, obesity and high blood pressure, and many are burning out.

Jewish donors give Catholic schools a lift

While they represent a small minority of donors to Catholic schools, the Jewish contributors are prominent in the community and deeply involved.

1000 UK Girls Under 12 Prescribed Hormonal Contraceptives Last Year “Most” without parental consent

The General Practice Research Database, a body of the UK’s Department of Health, has released figures showing that more than 1,000 preteen girls across the country were prescribed hormonal contraceptives last year. The issue has raised questions about the effectiveness of age of consent laws in a country where children as young as 11 can legally be given contraceptives without parental knowledge or consent and are taught in schools how to obtain them.