Boots forced to apologise after suggesting women might 'misuse' morning after pill if price was reduced

Boots has been forced to apologise after it suggested women would misuse the morning after pill if the price was reduced.

The high street chemist said it is "truly sorry" for the way it responded to a campaign calling for it to cut the price of emergency contraception.

The chain faced criticism after refusing to reduce the cost of the morning-after pill over fears it could incentivise its use.

Labour MPs attacked the company for taking an "unacceptable" moral position and health campaigners claimed women were being hit with a "sexist surcharge".

A spokesman for Boots said: "Pharmacy and care for customers are at the heart of everything we do and as such we are truly sorry that our poor choice of words in describing our position on emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) has caused offence and misunderstanding, and we sincerely apologise."

Boots charges £28.25 for Levonelle emergency contraceptive and £26.75 for its own version, while Tesco charges £13.50 for Levonelle and Superdrug £13.49 for a generic product.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), which launched the campaign calling on Boots to reduce the price tag on the emergency contraceptive, found the progestogen-based pills can cost up to five times more in the UK than other parts of Europe.

Boots said its price tag was based on the cost of the medicine and the consultation the pharmacists carries out with women but it is "committed" to finding less expensive versions of the tablet.

It said: "We firmly believe in the right of all women to access the EHC service with ease and convenience, and have long been at the forefront of increasing accessibility of contraception for women.

"The provision of EHC requires a regulated mandatory consultation to protect women's health and is a professional healthcare service provided by highly trained pharmacists. As a leading pharmacy, we will not compromise or undervalue this professional service.

"The consultation with the pharmacist is necessary to understand the patient's individual circumstances and ensure we provide an appropriate, safe and effective medicine for her.

"The pricing of EHC is determined by the cost of the medicine and the cost of the pharmacy consultation. We are committed to looking at the sourcing of less expensive EHC medicines, for example generics, to enable us to continue to make a privately funded EHC service even more accessible in the future.

"In addition the NHS EHC service where it is locally commissioned, is provided for free in over 1,700 of our pharmacies, and we continue to urge the NHS to extend this free service more widely."

It comes after a letter organised by Labour's Jess Phillips and backed by the party's women MPs expressed "deep concern" about the position Boots had taken and called for the chain to follow its rivals in cutting the cost.

The letter said: "The justification given by Boots for maintaining the high price was that it did not want to face complaints or to incentive the use of emergency contraceptive.

"This infantilises women, Boots largest customer base, and suggests Boots takes a moral position against women's choice which is unacceptable."

It added: "The women of the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) implore you to commit to following the example set by Superdrug and Tesco and agree to reduce the cost of emergency contraception at Boots.

"It will improve women's access to a vital method of back-up contraception, is supported by the majority of the public, is clearly commercially possible and will end the sexist sub-charge on emergency contraception."

BPAS welcomed the apology and said it was "delighted".

Clare Murphy, director of external affairs said: "We really welcome this apology from Boots and are delighted that they are committed to lowering the cost of emergency contraception.

"We look forward to learning what the next steps will be and the time-frame for these changes.

"As other retailers have been able to introduce a price reduction across their stores we hope Boots will act promptly to ensure women have affordable access to this back-up method of contraception, which gives women a crucial second chance of avoiding an unwanted pregnancy."



Source: mirror.co.uk

Baby Charlie Protesters Rally as Hospital Reports Threats

Protesters who want critically ill British baby Charlie Gard to receive an experimental medical treatment rallied Sunday, while hospital officials say emotions are running so high in the heart-breaking case they have received death threats.

A small group of about 20 activists supporting Gard's parents, including some from the United States, gathered Sunday afternoon outside the High Court in London where legal proceedings will resume Monday with new medical evidence expected.

Charlie has a rare genetic condition and suffers from brain damage. His case, which pits his parents' wishes in conflict with the views of doctors treating him, has generated international attention.

His parents are fighting to get him more medical care but Great Ormond Street Hospital officials say the experimental treatment won't work and will just cause the 11-month-old more suffering. They argue that his life support should be turned off and he should receive palliative care.

Hospital chairwoman Mary MacLeod said the London police have been contacted because of numerous threats received by the hospital's employees.

"Staff have received abuse both in the street and online," she said. "Thousands of abusive messages have been sent to doctors and nurses whose life's work is to care for sick children. Many of these messages are menacing, including death threats."

MacLeod said families visiting other ill children have also been "harassed and discomforted" on the grounds of the renowned hospital in London.

Charlie's parents have lost all previous court cases, including one before the European Court of Human Rights, which were designed to force the hospital to let them bring their son to the United States for an experimental treatment.

The loss in the European court, following an earlier defeat in Britain's Supreme Court, seemed final. But both Pope Francis and U.S. President Donald Trump expressed an interest in Charlie's fate, and the hospital asked for a new court hearing because of what the family claimed was new medical evidence.

Charlie has been examined by Dr. Michio Hirano, an American neurology expert from Columbia Medical Center in New York who has designed the proposed experimental treatment.

The doctor's findings are expected to figure heavily in Monday's court proceedings, as are the results of Charlie's recent brain scans.

A lawyer representing the hospital said in a brief hearing Friday that the latest brain scan results make for "sad reading."

That prompted an angry outburst from Charlie's father, Chris Gard, and prompted his mother, Connie Yates, to burst into tears.


Source: usnews.com

HIV advocates worry about gains reversal from Trump’s budget proposal

The United Nations said for the first time, more than half the people with HIV have access to treatment. Southern and eastern Africa have shown the most progress in fighting the virus.

But advocates are worried by proposed budget cuts from the biggest donor nation, the United States.

More than half of all people with HIV live in eastern and southern Africa. The United Nations organization UNAIDS said that since 2010 AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 42 percent and new infections are down by 29 percent. Still, globally 1.8 million people were newly infected in 2016.

President Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts would reduce funding for global HIV programs by $1 billion.

“At this point in time they are abdicating their leadership; they are not living up to the global commitments to play in part in curbing the epidemic. And so we are almost at a crossroads and the US has a decision to make and that’s why we are looking to Congress. Are we really going to allow the US government to abdicate our leadership and our responsibility when it comes to our part in fighting global HIV,” Serra Sippel, President of the Center for Health and Gender Equity said.

Young women in Sub-Saharan Africa aged between 15 and 24 are at greater risk of HIV infection, with a 44 percent higher infection rate than their male peers.

“When you see this youth wave and you see the risk to young women. If in this moment we don’t figure this out and really get these programs to scale, we’re not going to have the impact on the epidemic we were hoping to have,” warned Deborah Birx from the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.

The President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS relief, or PEPFAR set up a program called DREAMS two years ago to help girls and young women in 10 African nations.

The program recognizes that young women can only benefit from medical progress in treatment and prevention if they are empowered by better education and culturally sensitive healthcare and advice.

President Trump strengthened rules blocking funding for any groups that deal with abortion related issues, even if that involves simply providing advice, making it more difficult to support some projects.

But advocates have begun a determined effort to influence members of Congress who will organize and vote on the forthcoming budget, to ensure that the commitments on global HIV programs are maintained.



Source: america.cgtn.com

Trump: USS Ford is '100,000-ton message to the world'

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - With praise and a blessing for the military, President Donald Trump helped hand over the USS Gerald R. Ford to the Navy on Saturday and said the state-of-the-art aircraft carrier will send a "100,000-ton message to the world" about America's military might when it is ultimately deployed.

U.S. allies will rest easy, Trump said, but America's enemies will "shake with fear" when they see the Ford cutting across the horizon.

The president, who is commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces, likened the $12.9 billion warship to "an incredible work of art" and boasted about the American labor that went into building a vessel that eventually will house thousands of sailors and crew members.

Trump's participation in the ceremony also capped "Made in America" week at the White House, during which the president and administration officials sought to draw attention to the U.S. manufacturing industry.

"American steel and American hands have constructed this 100,000-ton message to the world," Trump said of the Ford during a speech that praised the bravery and spirit of U.S. service members and referenced his desire for a buildup after years of spending restrictions.

"American might is second to none and we're getting bigger and better and stronger every day of my administration. That I can tell you," Trump told thousands of service members and guests, including former defense secretaries Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, and Govs. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia and Rick Snyder of Michigan, who were packed into the steamy hangar bay on the main deck.

"Wherever this vessel cuts through the horizon, our allies will rest easy and our enemies will shake with fear because everyone will know that America is coming, and America is coming strong," Trump said.

After the speech, he put the Ford into commission and asked God to "bless and guide this warship and all who shall sail in her." He was followed by Susan Ford Bales, the ship's sponsor and daughter of the 38th president, whom the ship honors.

"There is no one, absolutely no one, who would be prouder of the commissioning of this mighty ship than the president of the United States, Gerald R. Ford," she said. "I am honored to give the command: 'Officers and crew of the United States Gerald R. Ford, man our ship and bring her to life.'"

"Anchors Aweigh" played as row after row of sailors in crisp, white uniforms who had been standing in formation began filing off to man their stations. Sirens and bells sounded, horns blared and the U.S. flag was hoisted high above the deck.

Soon after, the captain was informed that the "ship is manned and ready and reports for duty to the fleet."

Trump, who visited the carrier in March, told Time magazine this year that the Navy should revert to using steam catapults to launch fighter jets because some of the USS Ford's state-of-the-art systems and technology "costs hundreds of millions of dollars more money and it's no good."

Construction started in 2009 and was to be completed by September 2015 at a cost of $10.5 billion. The Navy has blamed the delays and budget overruns on the ship's advanced systems and technology, including electromagnetic launch systems for jets and drones that will replace steam catapults.

The warship also has a smaller island that sits farther back on the ship to make it quicker to refuel, re-arm and relaunch planes, and a nuclear power plant designed to allow cruising speeds of more than 30 knots and operation for 20 years without refueling.

The vessel completed sea trials in April but still will go through a battery of tests and workups at sea before becoming ready for deployment, work that is expected to cost nearly $780 million and take more than four years to complete, congressional auditors said this month.

Docked at Naval Station Norfolk, the USS Ford eventually will house about 2,600 sailors, 600 fewer than the previous generation of aircraft carriers. The Navy says that will save more than $4 billion over the ship's 50-year lifespan.

The air wing to support the Ford could add more personnel to the ship, which is designed to house more than 4,600 crew members.

The Ford was built at Newport News Shipbuilding, a giant Navy contractor in Virginia.

"I was with you four months ago and I knew that I had to be here today and I told you I'd be back to congratulate you and the crew and everybody involved in commissioning the newest, largest and most advanced aircraft carrier in the history of this world," Trump said Saturday. "That's a big achievement."



Source: wtol.com

New 'Justice League' Poster Is Really Colorful And Optimistic

Okay, we get it. Fair or not, the DCEU films (save for Wonder Woman) have been accused of being very dark and somber and colorless affairs. I may call foul on that charge (Larry Fong's Batman v Superman cinematography is still a sight for sore eyes either in IMAX or on HBO), but that's the narrative. And since Justice League's marketing is very much about disputing or changing the narrative, it makes sense that much of the art that we've seen has been really colorful and/or implicitly optimistic.

So, hours ahead of the SDCC panel which will presumably unveil a Justice League trailer and various other DC Films announcements, we've got a new poster and a new banner courtesy of the Twitter feed. And sure, enough, the theme is "Yay!" The color scheme is painfully bright (with arguably Alex Ross-inspired character designs), the heroes are almost... happy? And the tagline is weirdly conversational. As I've said before, I could never have imagined that a Justice League movie would be sold in such a casual/gee-whiz kinda way, but that's what we're going to see for the next few months.

Anyway, the actual design is pretty clever, using the respective logos to help spell out said tagline, and it's nice that it's not another "heroes stare off into the distance" sell. Sure, you can make the case that Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman should be in the center, but the word choice kinda demanded that Ben Affleck's Batman be in the middle. And I'm amused that we've got a Superman logo without Superman actually showing up in this poster. I'm curious as to whether we'll see Clark in the next trailer or whether Warner Bros. will hold off the reveal for as long as possible.


I think what's weird about all of this, and this isn't a criticism, is that we've got a Justice League movie that is being sold more like a Super Friends movie. That's for a future post after we get a look at that second trailer later today. But that's all I've got for the moment as my kids are requesting my attention. I'll be back for the actual panel in a couple of hours.


Source: forbes.com