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Legislation Includes Provisions For Healthy Lifestyle Infrastructure
Sweeping healthcare legislation in Congress includes money for walking paths, streetlights, jungle gyms, and even farmers" markets. While supporters cite their importance for preventative health, critics see the billions of dollars for such provisions in the Senate and House versions as pure pork.

Parents Needed To Help Curb Teenage Births Among Hispanics, Group Says
A coalition of Hispanic organizations on Tuesday urged parents of Hispanic teenagers to talk with their children about sex to curb the high teenage birth rate among the group, the McClatchy/Miami Herald reports. Hispanics are predicted to make up 25% of the teenage population nationwide by 2025 and efforts to curb their teen pregnancy rate is key to reducing unwanted pregnancies among all teenagers, according to the McClatchy/Herald. More than half of Hispanic teenage girls will become pregnant before age 20 -- nearly twice the national average and the highest of any ethnic or racial group in the U.S., according to coalition, which includes MANA, a national Hispanic women"s organization. Ana Sol Gutierrez, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates and a participant in the coalition, said the higher pregnancy rates among Hispanic teenagers can be attributed in part to a "different mind-set" among the group that embraces motherhood even at a young age. She said the key to reducing unplanned teenage pregnancies among Hispanics is to educate them about choosing "when and how" to become parents, while still embracing maternity. The National Campaign To Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy surveyed more than 1,600 Hispanic teenagers and adults nationwide and found that 76% of teens said their parents most influenced their decisions about sex but that most parents said they did not know how to have such a conversation with their children. The finding was particularly evident among parents who only speak Spanish. Ruthie Flores, a co-author of the study, said the solution is culturally appropriate education (Chung, McClatchy/Miami Herald, 5/19).
News of the day
Obama Administration's Filings On Asylum For Abused Foreign Women Brings 'Overdue Dose Of Clarity,' Editorial Says
The Obama administration recently laid out "a clear but narrow pathway" toward asylum for foreign women who have experienced severe physical or sexual abuse, a New York Times editorial states, noting that the U.S. government has debated the issue for 15 years. According to the editorial, the "question is not the fact of persecution, but whether the women would qualify for protection under the law, which limits asylum to those who suffer due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or "membership in a particular social group."" It adds that attorneys general under former Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush "have gone both ways and in circles" in their decisions.Although "[n]ot all victims will qualify," the Obama administration "made it clear that some could," the editorial states. "A petitioner would have to demonstrate to a judge that domestic violence was widely tolerated by society and government in her country, that women were viewed as subordinate to men and that she had no place within its borders to find a safe haven," the editorial adds.Department of Homeland Security lawyers say the new definition could apply to a severely abused Mexican woman, identified only by her initials, whose asylum petition is before a San Francisco immigration court. The editorial notes that DHS "did not immediately recommend asylum" for the woman, but "it did urge that she be allowed to continue to gather evidence and to refine her case according to the standards it proposed." The editorial concludes, "Advocates who have fought for years to advance women"s rights are celebrating the department"s action, which brings reasoned compassion, and an overdue dose of clarity, to an issue of anguish and difficulty" (New York Times, 7/19).
Public Health

Survey Finds Overwhelming Public Support Of Laws To Help Protect Teens From Tanning Beds

An overwhelming number of Americans believe young adults and children should not have access to tanning salons without parental oversight because of the danger of skin cancer, suggests an online poll by http://www.dermanetwork.org. More than 250 voted to encourage legislation to restrict or stop access to tanning salons without parental consent versus just 25 who disagreed. More than 20 states have legislation pending about restricting tanning bed usage. In March of 2009, Arkansas and Mississippi signed into law new legislation to restrict access for minors under 14 to tanning salons. Legislators failed to pass a similar law in Montana one month ago. "About one million people per day in the U.S. tan in tanning parlors. Skin cancers are common. I treated someone with three skin cancers yesterday. People, including young people, die every day from melanoma. There is strong evidence that exposure to UV radiation during indoor tanning increases the risk of melanoma, especially when that exposure occurs at an early age. Public support for laws that would make it harder for teens to have access to tanning beds is very encouraging. Such legislation would literally save lives," said Steven E. Zimmet, MD, of Zimmet Vein & Dermatology, Austin, Texas and an advisor to dermanetwork.org. "Many states have enacted laws to stop the proliferation of teens seeking the tanning bed, or at least requiring a minor to have parental consent in order to tan," said Lauren Wright, director of Dermanetwork.org, an online community of health education, news and patient inquiries to skin care specialists. "Other states have passed stiffer laws that require minors or those under 18 to have a written prescription from their doctor. These laws are needed to stem the tide of sun damage and the potential for more serious skin cancer diagnosis. The term "killer tan" could have a whole new meaning for this generation." According to experts, most skin damage from the sun occurs before age 18. Many youths will receive 50 to 80 percent of their lifetime sun exposure during childhood, a fact that worries cancer researchers who predict a significant increase in skin cancer diagnosis among younger people. dermanetwork.org


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