Jackie Butler's Page - Queensland Report
Long Day Care Disadvantage
Children who spend more than 21 hours a week in long
daycare are at greater risk of performing below average in
maths, literacy and overall academic achievement, a new
study finds. The Australian National University work, based
on four waves of longitudinal data over six years, found
"significant" negative academic outcomes for preschoolers
who attend on average more than four hours a day at
childcare centres.
Once they crossed the 21-hour-a-week threshold, children were found to have more trouble adjusting to school later on and had poorer marks on a key development questionnaire rating strengths and difficulties.
The controversial study will likely reignite debate about the impact of long daycare. The analysis was based on about 3500 children aged four to five in 2007-08 who were not attending full-time school. About 37 per cent attended some form of long daycare, with about 14 per cent attending for more than 20 hours.
www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/toomuch- childcare-takes-toll-on-learning/story-fn59nlz9- 1226884263757#
Cancer
The Cancer Council, in seeking to restore some balance
to cancer promotions ( C/Mail 10/6), drew comment from
R. Armstrong (13/6) about discrimination against the thousands
of patients with "forgotten cancers" who are unsettled
when confronted with all the pink merchandise used to gain
support for breast cancer victims.
While they are seeking balance in their promotions, consideration should be given to acknowledging women's reproductive history as a major cause of increased breast cancer risk. The internationally acclaimed Breast Cancer Prevention Institute (www.bcpinstitute.org), the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer (www.abortionbreastcancer.com) and others, including Endeavour Forum Inc., have sought recognition of the Abortion/Breast Cancer connection for years, and on June 3, Freya Ostapovich, the LNP Member for Stretton, spoke on this in the Queensland Parliament (see page 4) alerting women to well-researched information that may help them reduce their risks of contracting breast cancer.
This was published on the Courier Mail's online edition (4th June) but not in the published edition. Why not? IF it is OK to publish information about increased Breast Cancer risks through alcohol or obesity, why the deadly silence about the Abortion - Breast Cancer connection to reproductive history?
With Breast Cancer now the major killer of young women, apart from accidents, and over 80,000 abortions every year, doctors, politicians and others should be concerned about potential class actions by women who were not warned about the Abortion-Breast Cancer risk. Surely it is time to give women the facts about the increased risks of meddling with natural reproduction now that peer reviewed information is available. Why the denials and deadly silence? Who profits? Certainly not women if risk information is deliberately withheld from them. The facts have been available for years, so women with breast cancer who were conned into having "safe"abortions may consider starting class actions in the future against doctors and Health Departments who failed to warn them of the risks. Qld Attorney General Jerrod Bleijie told us at a Liberal National Party breakfast at the Wynnum Golf Club that the Newman Government was working to make class actions easier.
"Breast Cancer Risks and Prevention" (Fourth Edition) by Angela Lanfranchi, M.D., F.A.C.S. and Joel Brind, Ph.D. of the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute should be essential reading for all doctors, parents, girls and women, so that they can make INFORMED decisions about the risks associated with abortions.