University Killing Deaf Kittens For CI Research

VIDEO: Deaf News - Students outraged after Australian university made six kittens Deaf for a year before killing them for cochlear implant research.



VICTORIA, AU -- Daily Mail: Australian universities are under fire for using cruel animal testing practices as part of various medical and scientific studies.



But one Deakin University student is calling on the prestigious institutions to end their cruel practices.



Alexandra Sedgwick, 24, has kickstarted a campaign against her own university after she suspected Deakin to be using fetal pigs cut from the bodies of pregnant mothers in scientific studies.



Ms Sedgwick organised a meeting on Friday morning with the Dean of the faculty of science, engineering and built environment, to put her case against the university's current animal testing policy.

But the vegan activist said her message was difficult to get across as she was refused any support in the meeting.



'It was an intense experience. I had requested to bring in people as support which the Dean didn't allow,' Ms Sedgwick told Daily Mail Australia.



Ms Sedgwick said the university branded her view as 'unique' and unsupported as she was not allowed to bring in her support team.



Other Australian universities also use cruel animal testing practices for scientific and educational purposes.



The University of Melbourne made six kittens Deaf before killing them as part of a medical study with the Bionics Institute while Monash University made eight healthy baby monkeys brain dead as part of a brain injury study, Fairfax Media reported.



Despite Ms Sedgwick's efforts, the Dean stood by his position that animal tissue was more effective in scientific studies than non-animal alternatives, and insisted they had already adopted a cruelty-free stance.



'If they were a cruelty-free university, why wouldn't they agree to stop using animals? It doesn't make sense to say we have all these animals but then say we're not going agreeing to stop,' Ms Sedgwick said.



'For me this was never about Deakin, it was about Victorian universities and institutions and I had hoped Deakin would be the first to change,' she said.



She acknowledged the difficulty of being up against a big organisation with extensive resources but hopes to further expose animal cruelty in science through her social media accounts and by connecting with like-minded people.



'I've had hundreds of people contact me and hopefully they will be willing to tell their stories.



'I hope to connect with Victorians, students, researchers and interns who are brave enough to tell the truth about this, as universities are all quite secretive especially in the research department,' she said.



Over 900,000 animals are killed for scientific purposes in Victoria alone, which has been increasing every year for the past 10 years according to the most recent data from 2014.



Ms Sedgwick said this does not include animal organs purchased from slaughterhouses.



While she described the mood as 'devastating', Ms Sedgwick said she will not stop pursuing the issue and urges all students not to participate in dissection.



Trevor Day, Deakin's executive dean of the faculty of science, engineering and built environment, told Fairfax Media that there was 'very limited use of live animals in teaching and training.'



SOURCE

Medical Research: Rise in Abortions of Deaf Babies

Prenatal testing prompts rise in abortions of Deaf babies. Hearing loss can be a curse if it's linked to a revelation as heart-breaking as this.

LONDON - According to a survey conducted by Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram hospital, a majority of would-be parents would opt for an abortion if knew they are going to have a hearing-impaired child.



The study was published in a recent issue of American Journal of Medical Genetics.



The research-based study was conducted for four years - 2005 to 2009 - on at least 51 families with a history of congenital hearing loss.



"Around 93 per cent of the couples expressed high interest in prenatal diagnosis, while 73 per cent considered termination if the foetus was affected," Dr Ishwar C Verma, chairman, department of genetics, Sir Ganga Ram hospital, said.



The result in cases of hearing couples, in whom genetic anomalies were identified, was even more disheartening.



"All of them opted for prenatal diagnosis. On testing, all the foetuses were found to be affected and the hearing parents elected to terminate the pregnancies," Dr Verma said.



In developing countries such as India, there is an increasing awareness and interest in prenatal testing because genetic disorders of all types, including hereditary deafness, which lead to significant social and economic burden on families due to poor support structure. During the study, doctors found that around 68 per cent would be parents opted for genetic testing. ... Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2280183/Prenatal-testing-prompts-rise-abortions-deaf-babies.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Cochlear Implants Surgery To Help Deaf Boy In Limbo

Deaf News: Cochlear Implants surgery to help Florida Deaf boy in limbo.

MONROE, GA. - Life-changing surgery to help a Walton County boy who is considered legally Deaf is in limbo. The family’s insurance company denied coverage for cochlear implants, leaving the family few options.



“If he wants to be able to read, write and learn, and have friends; be a kid, he needs to have the surgery,” Brian Rubin told Channel 2’s Rachel Stockman.



Carson Rubin, 5, suffers from auditory neuropathy. He has tried several hearing aids, but so far, nothing has worked. Doctors say the best opportunity for him to live a “hearing” life, would be if he got the implants.



“We pay for insurance. We have coverage and you expect the thing you need will be covered,” Shay Rubin said.



The Rubin’s insurance, Coventry Health Insurance of Georgia, said that the surgery was excluded under their small group plan. The surgery costs about $250,000 for both ears... Read more: http://wsbtv.com/news/news/local/life-changing-surgery-help-deaf-boy-limbo/



Cochlear Implants Are A Form Of Child Abuse - On the surface, cochlear implants sound like a promising medical solution to the problems surrounding hearing loss or total deafness. A cochlear implant uses existing nerves and electronic signals to override damaged auditory nerves, thus restoring a sense of hearing to the recipient. However, this technology has also caused serious divisions within the Deaf community concerning the hearing society's position on deafness in general. A number of members of the Deaf community choose to view their Deaf status as a subculture of society, in the same sense as a Hispanic person would embrace his or her Hispanic culture.



Deafness is not a handicap per se, but a shared experience which gives the Deaf community its unique cultural identity. To members of this Deaf subculture, cochlear implants are considered disrespectful and insulting, since the medical community views deafness as a handicap which must be treated or corrected: http://www.cochlearwar.com/myths_and_facts.html.



Certain factions of the Deaf community also believe a Deaf person's ability to live a full and meaningful life is not compromised by his or her deafness, so the suggestion that cochlear implants provide advantages over a Deaf lifestyle is shortsighted and insensitive.



Many Deaf people cope very well with their deafness, learning sign language and lip reading and adapting their work and home environments to accommodate their loss of hearing. Perhaps the cochlear implant is only for the MONEY as the dirty business? Cochlear Business Is Dirty Business! with captions.



Another controversy surrounding cochlear implants and the Deaf community is the safety and effectiveness of the procedure. Cochlear implantation involves major surgery in an area of the body filled with delicate nerves which control facial movements. One mistake during surgery could cause long-term facial paralysis, also and it is might be a risk to cochlear implant users where the thunderstorms approaching, Cochlear Implant User Struck By Lightning.



Cochlear implants can also destroy any remaining healthy auditory nerves, which means a Deaf person could lose all remnants of natural hearing which may have helped them adjust to a Deaf lifestyle. Cochlear implants require the recipient to undergo significant fine-tuning sessions, and success can vary widely from recipient to recipient. The controversy over cochlear implants often pits hearing parents against Deaf parents when it comes to raising their Deaf children in a hearing world. Many Deaf parents would prefer to raise their Deaf child in a Deaf culture, including the use of sign language and lip reading. Hearing parents who are not familiar with the Deaf community may opt for the cochlear implant surgery to correct their Deaf child's perceived handicap, Cochlear Implant Cruelty.



The result may be a Deaf child who can partially hear, or a hearing child with a Deaf cultural heritage. Either way, the child may face social ostracism from both communities if the parents do not consider the long-term effects of cochlear implant surgery. Not all members of Deaf community view cochlear implants as an unnecessary procedure, but hearing parents facing a difficult decision concerning a Deaf child may want to research both sides of the controversy before committing to cochlear implant surgery. Hearing impairment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_impairment



What Is the Leading Cause of Child Abandonment?



History of Abandonment/Abuse - History tends to repeat itself and this is especially true of abuse and neglect patterns. Parents who experienced abuse, neglect or abandonment at the hands of someone when they were a child are more likely to repeat the pattern and abuse, neglect or abandon their own children. UNICEF estimates that 13 million children worldwide have been abandoned by both parents for various reasons, abuse and neglect among them. Watch the video in behavioral problems for not learning in sign language and oppression: Alone In A Hearing World.



Handicap/Illness of Child - A child born with a handicap, birth defect or chronic illness has a higher chance of being abandoned by their parents. Since infants and children are needy to begin with, parents living with a child with a chronic condition may not be able to cope with the increased demands of their child. Like parents who live in poverty, these parents believe their child will be better off without them and abandon these child to the foster care system or to live with other relatives.



Behavioral Problems - All children experience behavior problems as they grow and learn about the world around them. For some parents, their child's misbehavior is a source of extreme stress they are unable to handle. Other parents have children with extreme, even criminal, behavior that they are unable or unwilling to control. These children are at an increased risk of being removed from their parent's care or having their parents find alternative placement situations for them: Alone In A Hearing World.



STOP to abusive the childrens from the quacks from the profits!



Cochlear Implants Failure... Lawsuits...Call Lawyer... Cochlear Implant Lawyer for Advanced Bionics and Clarion Devices. Get a free lawsuit review for Advanced Bionics cochlear implants and earlier Clarion models by completing the form on this page. A Deaf attorney is available to review your information and can discuss it by videophone (VP). The lawyers of Weitz and, Luxenberg P.C. have expanded litigation against Advanced Bionics related to defective Advanced bionics cochlear implants implanted in young children and adults. http://www.cochlear-implant-lawyer.com