But this year, as the line between acceptable political debate and sophistry has often been crossed, the accuracy of campaign statements has emerged as a campaign issue. Here is an examination of some of the claims and counterclaims.

 Doubling the Deficit

 Mr. Romney said Mr. Obama had doubled the deficit. That is not true. When Mr. Obama took office in January 2009, the Congressional Budget Office had already projected that the deficit for fiscal year 2009, which ended Sept. 30 of that year, would be $1.2 trillion. (It ended up as $1.4 trillion.) For fiscal year 2012, which ended last week, the deficit is expected to be $1.1 trillion — just under the level in the year he was inaugurated. Measured as a share of the economy, as economists prefer, the deficit has declined more significantly — from 10.1 percent of the economy’s total output in 2009 to 7.3 percent for 2012. JACKIE CALMES

 The $5 Trillion Tax Cut

 Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney repeatedly sparred over whether Mr. Romney has proposed a $5 trillion tax cut.

 It is true that Mr. Romney has proposed “revenue neutral” tax reform, meaning that he would not expand the deficit. However, he has proposed cutting all marginal tax rates by 20 percent — which would in and of itself cut tax revenue by $5 trillion.

 To make up that revenue, Mr. Romney has said he wants to clear out the underbrush of deductions and loopholes in the tax code. But he has not yet specified how he would do so.

 This week, in a television interview, Mr. Romney did shed some light — floating the idea of capping each household’s deductions at $17,000.

 “As an option, you could say everybody’s going to get up to a $17,000 deduction. And you could use your charitable deduction, your home mortgage deduction, or others, your health care deduction, and you can fill that bucket, if you will, that $17,000 bucket that way,” he said. “Higher-income people might have a lower number.”

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 The deduction cap has the virtue of avoiding the tough negotiations over which tax expenditures to unwind. Many tax expenditures are highly popular, like the deduction for charitable giving. Moreover, many are important to the stability of the economy. Suddenly ending the home mortgage interest deduction, for instance, would threaten to destabilize the housing market.

 But a number of unanswered questions about Mr. Romney’s tax plan remain.

 For instance, Mr. Romney did not address how his proposed cap on deductions would affect tax credits. (Generally, deductions lower a family’s level of taxable income and credits erase part of their overall tax bill.)

 It is also unclear whether his proposal to cap deductions would raise enough revenue to pay for his income tax rate cuts — at least not without increasing the tax burden on families making less than $200,000 a year, which Mr. Romney has vowed that he will not do. ANNIE LOWREY

 Government ‘Takeover’ Of Health Care

 Mr. Romney said that Mr. Obama’s health care overhaul would allow the federal government to “take over health care,” an assertion rejected by the president.

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 The 2010 health care law clearly expands the role of the federal government. But it also builds on the foundation of private health insurance, providing subsidies for millions of low- and moderate-income people to buy private insurance.

 Under the law, close to 30 million Americans are expected to gain health coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Many of them would receive insurance through the expansion of Medicaid. The federal government will initially pay the entire cost of Medicaid coverage for newly eligible beneficiaries and would never pay less than 90 percent.

 In addition, the federal government would subsidize the purchase of private insurance for millions of people with incomes up to four times the poverty level (up to $92,200 for a family of four). Private insurers would thus have many new customers.

 Projections by the nonpartisan office of the actuary at the Department of Health and Human Services show that federal, state and local government health spending will account for nearly 50 percent of all health spending in the United States by 2021, up from 46 percent in 2011. The federal share of all health spending is expected to rise to more than 31 percent, from slightly less than 29 percent.

 The changes reflect the expansion of Medicaid eligibility and the new subsidies for private insurance, as well as the increase in Medicare enrollment as baby boomers join the program.

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 When Mr. Romney and other Republicans complain of a federal takeover, they are referring to more than spending and enrollment in government health programs. They say the new health care law will require most Americans to purchase “government-approved insurance” or pay a new tax. The tax issue was at the heart of the Supreme Court’s much-debated 5-to-4 decision in June to uphold the president’s health care overhaul law, the Affordable Care Act. ROBERT PEAR

 Green Energy

 Mr. Romney said that half the companies backed by the president’s green energy stimulus program have gone out of business. That is a gross overstatement. Of nearly three dozen recipients of loans under the Department of Energy’s loan guarantee program, only three are currently in bankruptcy, although several others are facing financial difficulties. Mr. Romney also said that “many” of the companies that received such loans were supported by campaign contributors. George Kaiser, a major fund-raiser for Mr. Obama’s 2008 campaign, was an investor in Solyndra, the failed solar panel maker, but there are also examples of Republican and Democratic campaign contributors who also invested in firms supported by the loan guarantee program. JOHN M. BRODER

 The $716 Billion Cut From Medicare

 Mr. Obama first brought up Mr. Romney’s frequent criticism that the president cut $716 billion from Medicare, by saying the cost savings were from reduced payments to insurance companies and other health care providers. But Mr. Romney repeated the claim, suggesting that the $716 billion in Medicare reductions would indeed come from current beneficiaries.

 While fact-checkers have repeatedly debunked this claim, it remains a standard attack line for Mr. Romney.

 The charge that Mr. Obama took $716 billion from Medicare recipients to pay for “Obamacare” has several problems — not least the fact that Mr. Romney’s running mate, Representative Paul D. Ryan, included the identical savings in his budget plans that House Republicans voted for in the past two years.

 Mr. Obama did not cut benefits by $716 billion over 10 years as part of his 2010 health care law; rather, he reduced Medicare reimbursements to health care providers, chiefly insurance companies and drug manufacturers. And the law gave Medicare recipients more generous benefits for prescription drugs and free preventive care like mammograms.

 According to nonpartisan analysts, it is Mr. Romney who would both cut benefits and add costs for beneficiaries if he restored the $716 billion in reductions. Restoring higher payments to insurers and other companies would in turn increase Medicare premiums because beneficiaries share in Medicare’s total cost. Marilyn Moon, a vice president at the American Institutes for Research, has calculated that a Medicare recipient’s out-of-pocket expenses would increase $577 a year on average by 2022.

 Also, the Obama reductions added eight years to the life of Medicare’s financially troubled trust fund, to 2024, according to Medicare trustees. If the cuts were restored, the insolvency date would revert to 2016.

 But the cuts to providers could cause private Medicare plans to raise their premiums, which is expected to reduce enrollment in them. Those changes have not materialized yet.

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 JACKIE CALMES ||||| President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney threw a lot of facts and numbers at each other in Denver Wednesday night — details often so jarringly at odds that the two men seemed to be inhabiting two parallel universes.

 Here’s POLITICO’s guide to sorting through some of the edgiest claims, and what the independent experts off the stage have had to say about what the two candidates claimed:

 Text Size -

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 reset 2012 First Presidential Debate in Denver POLITICO's 2012 Presidential Debate Post Game

 (See also: Complete coverage of 2012 presidential debates)

 The $5 Trillion Tax Cut

 Romney: “I’m not looking for a $5 trillion tax cut. … I won’t put in place a tax cut that adds to the deficit. That’s part one. So there’s no economist that can say Mitt Romney’s tax plan adds $5 trillion if I say I will not add to the deficit with my tax plan. ... .I will not reduce the taxes paid by high-income Americans.”

 Obama: “Governor Romney’s central economic plan calls for a $5 trillion tax cut….For 18 months he’s been running on this tax plan. And now, five weeks before the election, he’s saying that his big, bold idea is, ‘Never mind.’”

 (PHOTOS: Scenes from the Denver debate)

 Independent analysts say Romney’s numbers don’t add up. The rate cuts and other changes he’s proposing would indeed total almost $5 trillion over 10 years, and though he said Wednesday he’d pay for those cuts by reducing deductions and credits, a study by the Tax Policy Center found that it was “mathematically impossible” to cover the $5 trillion reduction by eliminating tax breaks solely on high-income taxpayers.

 In an interview earlier this week, Romney said he might cap deductions at $17,000. During the debate, he suggested such a cap might kick in at $25,000 or $50,000. However, it’s not clear how those limits would get around the problem the Tax Policy Center study noted. The Romney camp contends that study is biased and points to others with different results.

 (Also on POLITICO: Romney’s 5 best debate lines)

 Romney acknowledged Wednesday that the bare numbers of his tax plan might not be revenue-neutral, but he said growth and new jobs created by his policies would generate added revenue to cover the gap.

 Simpson-Bowles

 Obama: “We’ve [taken the Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan,] made some adjustments to it, and we’re putting it forward before Congress right now, a $4 trillion plan.”

 Obama made the deficit-cutting plan he’s offered sound comparable to the plan from the chairmen of the Simpson-Bowles debt cutting commission. But it’s not: His proposal doesn’t save as much money as Simpson-Bowles and doesn’t offer the kinds of detailed entitlement cuts the panel’s leaders did.

 The president’s $4 trillion plan, including $3 trillion in spending cuts and $1 trillion in tax hikes from allowing the Bush-era tax cuts to expire, is spread over 10 years — a year longer than Simpson-Bowles. It sounds like a minor difference, but cuts and spending balloon in the so-called out years.

 (Also on POLITICO: Obama’s 5 best debate lines)

 Also, Obama doesn’t touch Social Security in his plan. And the tax changes and war spending are accounted in ways that make Obama’s plan substantially less aggressive.

 “The president’s budget falls well short of the savings claimed by the [Simpson-Bowles] commission,” according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. The committee, the kind of wonky group Obama loves to cite, said Obama’s plan provided only about two-thirds of the savings Simpson-Bowles proposed over a comparable period with comparable assumptions. ||||| Story highlights Obama says Trump is a small business under Romney plan

 The government defines small business as having under 500 workers

 President Barack Obama invoked Donald Trump's name during Wednesday's presidential debate, claiming that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney would consider the mogul's empire a small business.

 "Under Governor Romney's definition, there are a whole bunch of millionaires and billionaires who are small businesses," President Obama said. "Donald Trump is a small business. Now, I know Donald Trump doesn't like to think of himself as small anything -- but that's how you define small businesses if you're getting business income."

 The facts:

 While there is no universally accepted definition of a small business, the federal government defines it as any business that employs fewer than 500 people.

 The Trump Organization employs 22,000 people. But Trump also runs a number of other companies that employ fewer than 500, meaning that -- under the federal government's definition -- he qualifies as a small business.

 According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, which uses the 500-worker maximum in its definition, such firms employ half of all private-sector workers and pay 44% of the total U.S. private payroll. In 2009, there were 27.5 million businesses in the nation, 99.7% of which were small firms.

 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney finish their debate in Denver on Wednesday, October 3. View behind-the-scene photos of debate preparations. Hide Caption 1 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Romney stands with his wife, Ann, and family following the first presidential debate. Hide Caption 2 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – President Obama kisses first lady Michelle Obama after the debate Wednesday. It took place on their 20th wedding anniversary. Hide Caption 3 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Jim Leher of PBS moderates the 90-minute debate on Wednesday. It was the candidates' first time debating face to face. Hide Caption 4 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Obama defended his record and challenged his rival's proposals. Hide Caption 5 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Romney was more aggressive Wednesday in criticizing Obama's vision. Hide Caption 6 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – People watch the debate at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, New York. Hide Caption 7 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – The event was expected to draw the candidates' largest nationwide audience to date. Hide Caption 8 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Romney answers a question from the moderator. Hide Caption 9 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Obama argues his view. Both candidates said the other's proposals won't work. Hide Caption 10 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Michelle Obama listens to the debate. Hide Caption 11 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Romney said Obama has failed to bring down high unemployment and get the economy surging again. Hide Caption 12 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Obama reacts to Romney's remarks on Wednesday. Hide Caption 13 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Obama listens during the debate in Denver. Hide Caption 14 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Romney, who has been unable to catch the president in most polls to date, sought to generate enthusiasm for a change in the White House. Hide Caption 15 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Romney's shadow is projected beneath text from the Declaration of Independence at the University of Denver's Magness Arena. Hide Caption 16 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – The first of three presidential debates focused on domestic issues: the economy, health care and the role of government. Hide Caption 17 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Obama and Mitt Romney clashed over the economy on Wednesday. Hide Caption 18 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Romney speaks during Wednesday night's debate. The candidate called for a new economic path. Hide Caption 19 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Obama called for "economic patriotism" and said Romney's plan of tax cuts for the rich failed before. Hide Caption 20 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Romney and Obama wave to the crowd at the start of the presidential debate. Hide Caption 21 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Obama greets Romney on Wednesday. Hide Caption 22 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – The candidates meet on stage less than five weeks before Election Day. Hide Caption 23 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Obama and Romney shake hands Wednesday night. Hide Caption 24 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – The presidential race has been dominated so far by negative advertising as both camps try to frame the election to their advantage. Hide Caption 25 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Leher takes the stage Wednesday. It's his 12th time moderating a presidential debate. Hide Caption 26 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Michelle Obama points to Lehrer before the start of the debate. Hide Caption 27 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Ann Romney and first lady Michelle Obama hug on Wednesday. Hide Caption 28 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – The candidates wives were in attendance for the most highly anticipated campaign event to date. Hide Caption 29 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Michelle Obama sits with White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, right. Hide Caption 30 of 31 Photos: Photos: The first presidential debate The first presidential debate – Rapper Will.i.am, left, speaks with Jarrett before the debate on Wednesday. View behind-the-scenes photos of debate preparations. Hide Caption 31 of 31

 JUST WATCHED Analyst: Election now 'a horse race' Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Analyst: Election now 'a horse race' 01:40

 JUST WATCHED Best 'zingers' from debate night Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Best 'zingers' from debate night 01:50

 IRS data on the highest-income people in the country underscores that small business does not necessarily mean small profits. Of the top 400 people — who got $19.8 billion in S corporation and partnership net income in 2009 — 237 count as small businesses.

 An analysis by the Urban Institute-Brookings Tax Policy Center finds that extending tax cuts for people who make more than $250,000 per year ($200,000 for single filers) would disproportionately help the richest taxpayers: 82% of the cut would go to people with more than $1 million in adjusted gross income, who would get an average tax cut of $164,000 apiece.

 Romney's plan does not single out small businesses for special treatment. His plan attempts to lower taxes on all businesses -- big or small.

 Conclusion: While Romney's plan does not define who is or is not a small business, some of Donald Trump's companies would qualify as a small business because they have fewer than 500 employees. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Facts and numbers were flying in last night's debate, and President Obama and Mitt Romney agreed on so few of them that "the two men seemed to be inhabiting two parallel universes," Politico observes. Thankfully, a swarm of fact-checkers have been poring over the candidates' statements to sort things out. Here are some of the more egregious fibs: Romney: "I won't put in place a tax cut that adds to the deficit." Independent analysis indicates that Romney's tax plan would add $5 trillion to the deficit over 10 years. Romney says he'll pay for that by reducing deductions and credits, but the Tax Policy Center concluded that was "mathematically impossible." Obama: "We've made some adjustments" to Simpson-Bowles. Obama's plan is not, as he implied, comparable to Simpson-Bowles. It's much less aggressive, doesn't touch Social Security, and, while it too reduces the deficit by $4 trillion, it takes an extra year to do it. Romney on green energy loan recipients: "I think about half have gone out of business." Try three out of 26. Romney: Dodd-Frank "designates a number of banks as too big to fail." The law designates some banks for special treatment, but that treatment involves extra regulation and a way to liquidate them if they run into trouble; they are not, as Romney argued "effectively guaranteed by the federal government." Romney: "Pre-existing conditions are covered under my plan." Romney's health care plan only covers people with pre-existing conditions if they "maintain continuous coverage," which was more or less the situation before ObamaCare. Obama: "Under Governor Romney's definition … Donald Trump is a small business." Romney's plan doesn't actually define small businesses. But the federal government does, and under its guidelines, Trump is a small business, because he owns some businesses with fewer than 500 employees, according to CNN. Obama: "I've put forward a specific $4 trillion deficit reduction plan." True, but that plan counts savings already agreed on during the debt ceiling debate. Romney: "The president said he'd cut the deficit in half. Unfortunately, he doubled it." When Obama took office, the projected deficit for 2009 was $1.2 trillion. For fiscal 2012, the deficit is expected to be $1.1 trillion, the New York Times reports.


MyONE launch represents historic shift in condom sizes available on U.S. market

 Company pledges 1 million free condoms to show men the importance of proper fit

 Download press ready images. Read press release about updated myONE (October 2018).

 BOSTON – October, 2017: With condoms, proper size matters. ONE® Condoms launches myONE® Perfect Fit, a game-changing new product line of 60 different condom sizes. Now available in the United States, myONE Perfect Fit offers condoms with combinations of 10 lengths and 9 widths. These include sizes smaller and larger than what was previously available to condom users in America. With 60 condom sizes, myONE is designed to finally address the top complaints about condoms: they don’t fit and are uncomfortable.

 Does size matter?

 It’s no secret than many people don’t like to use condoms. Common complaints focus on issues related to fit and feel, such as the condom being too loose, tight, short or long. Poor condom fit is a contributing factor to loss of sensation, loss of erection, and difficulty achieving orgasm. In cases where the condom slips off or is removed prematurely, there is an increased risk of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

 Surprisingly, previously available condoms properly fit only 12 percent of men. Here are some examples of the problems that people face with existing condoms:

 Condoms too long: Most condoms are nearly 7 inches long—more than one inch too long for the average penis (5.57 inches). In one study sample of 1,661 men in the United States, 82.83 percent of participants had a penis shorter than the length of a standard condom. As a result, for many men the condom will not unroll completely, causing a rubber-band effect at the base of the penis—resulting in tightness and discomfort. If the condom does unroll, the extra length can hang off the tip of the penis and potentially cause it to slip or be pulled off.

 Condoms too short: Even though most condoms are longer than the average penis, there are many people that have a penis that is longer than existing XL condoms. This leaves the base of the penis unprotected from skin-to-skin transmission of STIs.

 Condoms too wide (loose): People who have a penis smaller in circumference than existing condoms often report issues related to the condom slipping off.

 Condoms too tight: Previously available XL condoms are only a few millimeters wider than the standard condom. For men who are significantly thicker than average, they will not notice a significant improvement with existing XL condoms.

 MyONE Perfect Fit solves these issues by offering a range of 60 condom sizes that will provide a better fit for 9 out of 10 men. These include 28 sizes larger than the leading XL condom and 27 sizes smaller than the average condom—in terms of length, width or both. MyONE lengths range from 4.9 to 9.4 inches, while prior condoms available ranged from 6.7 to 8.3 inches in length. The circumferences available from myONE range from 3.5 to 5.0 inches, while prior condoms available ranged from 3.9 to 4.5 inches.

 “After years of dedication and hard work, we are thrilled to announce a condom that will finally address complaints about fit,” said Davin Wedel, president of ONE Condoms. “You might be able to squeeze your large hands into a size-small glove, but that doesn’t mean it will be comfortable to wear. We want the world to know you shouldn’t have to sacrifice comfort for safety when it comes to condoms. Whether big, small or in between, myONE has a condom perfect for you.”

 Bringing myONE to market: regulatory and manufacturing challenges

 Condoms are classified as Class II medical devices under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and conform to safety and testing standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and ASTM International. Previously, the only testing standard that existed for new condoms was based on the one-size-fits-all model. This meant that all condoms sold in the United States prior to myONE were required to be at least 6.7 inches long and between 1.9 and 2.2 inches wide in nominal width, which did not accurately reflect the wide range of penis sizes.

 Bringing myONE Perfect Fit to the U.S. market has been an ongoing process, spanning over seven years, and has required extensive work among researchers, standards organizations, and ONE’s R&D and manufacturing experts. This effort resulted in updated testing standards and the eventual FDA clearance for myONE Perfect Fit in the United States.

 Offering 60 different condom sizes is also a major manufacturing challenge, because it requires the creation of cylindrical glass moulds in all the 60 different sizes. Normally, over 3,000 expensive glass molds are on a production line for each size of condom. Therefore, having 60 different sizes is not only incredibly expensive, but the time to change the lines over is a challenge.

 “Although manufacturing myONE is a significant investment and required specialized manufacturing processes and equipment to be developed, we are strongly invested in myONE and its potential to increase condom use overall,” said Davin Wedel.

 Public health impact

 ONE was founded on the principle of promoting safer sex through condom innovation and design. MyONE is the next evolution in condoms and allows men who have previously not been satisfied with the fit of standard condoms to have a more pleasurable experience.

 “MyONE has the potential to change people’s perception of condoms and ultimately, reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and STI occurrences,” says Davin Wedel. “We’re committed to bringing a smart solution to market by offering comfortable condoms at affordable pricing. In fact, we’re giving away 1 million condoms to help men find their fit.”

 The effect that myONE may have on public health efforts is particularly important to Wedel, who founded the company in 1987 with a mission to make condoms as socially acceptable as toothpaste in an effort to prevent the transmission of HIV.

 How to purchase

 Get It Up, Size It Up, Order It Up. In order to buy myONE Perfect Fit condoms, customers use a FitKit or a measuring tape to measure their length and circumference, and receive a unique product code that corresponds to their myONE size. The FitKit comes as a printable measuring tool complete with instructions, downloadable at www.myonecondoms.com. Customers can also get a size recommendation from myONE based on a questionnaire on previous condom experiences.

 People searching for their myONE Perfect Fit size can order a sample kit, including the size they measured plus a size smaller and larger to find their true perfect fit. Customers will pay only $2 for shipping, which will be credited to their next online purchase. MyONE condoms and sample kits are available at www.myonecondoms.com and shipped in discreet packaging.

 # # #

 About ONE®

 Launched in 2004, the ONE® brand strives to increase condom usage and facilitate conversations about sexual health by surprising, delighting, and engaging people in ways no one else can. As a leader in premium-branded condoms and lubricants in North America, ONE brings a fresh perspective to sexual health through a fusion of advanced product design, manufacturing technology, customer participation, and social responsibility. ONE is a member of the Global Protection Corp. family of sexual health products founded by Davin Wedel with a mission to make condoms as socially acceptable as toothpaste.

 All ONE Condoms are manufactured by Karex Berhad, the world’s largest condom manufacturer. A trusted partner for over 20 years, Karex Berhad purchased a stake in Global Protection in 2015 for the purpose of expanding the ONE brand throughout the world. For more information, go to www.myonecondoms.com and www.onecondoms.com.

 Download press ready images.

 Contact:

 Milla Impola, Marketing Communications Manager, ONE® Condoms

 press@myonecondoms.com | 617-480-9239 ||||| INTRODUCTION:

 Penile size continues to receive popular and empirical attention. Little is known about the process of self-measurement and whether the behaviors a man engages in to become erect for self-measurement are associated with his erect penile dimensions.

 AIMS:

 The article aims to assess men's erect penile dimensions in a study in which the men would presumably be motivated to report accurate information about their penis size; and to explore associations between men's erect penile dimensions, their method of measurement, and their demographics.

 METHODS:

 Data are from an Internet-based baseline phase of a large prospective daily diary study that compared men's use of a standard-sized condom to men's use of a condom sized to fit their erect penis.

 MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

 The main outcomes are participant characteristics, activities engaged in during self-measurement process, and self-reported erect penile length and circumference.

 RESULTS:

 For this sample of 1,661 men, the mean erect penile length was 14.15 cm (SD = 2.66; range = 4 to 26 cm), and the mean erect penile circumference was 12.23 cm (SD = 2.23; range = 3 to 19). Participant characteristics were not associated with measured length or circumference. Most men measured their penis while alone, using hand stimulation to become erect.

 CONCLUSIONS:

 In this sample of men who measured their erect penile length and circumference for the purposes of receiving a condom sized to fit their erect penis, we found a mean erect penile length of 14.15 cm and a mean erect penile circumference of 12.23 cm. The self-reported erect penile dimensions in this study are consistent with other penile dimension research. Also, findings suggest that mode of getting an erection may influence erect penile dimensions. Additionally, how a man becomes erect for self-measurement may be associated with his erect penile length and/or circumference.

 © 2013 International Society for Sexual Medicine. ||||| Condoms get a bad rap for being a bad wrap. Men often complain of discomfort, diminished sensation and poor fit. A recent federal study found only a third of American men use them.

 Now, changes by the Food and Drug Administration and industry-standards groups have opened the door to the condom equivalent of bespoke suits. A Boston-based company has begun selling custom-fit condoms in 60 sizes, in combinations of 10 lengths and nine circumferences.

 Will the development improve the appeal of condoms, the only birth-control method that protects against most sexually transmitted diseases? Public health experts are unsure.

 Many ideas for improving condoms have fizzled, sometimes stymied by the costs of testing required to satisfy the F.D.A., which considers condoms to be medical devices. A competition sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sought ideas for more pleasurable condoms in 2013 but has not yet brought one to market. While some winners are still pursuing prototypes, others have given up. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Consider these two numbers: 5.57 inches and 6.69. The first is the average erect penile length, according to a study of 1,661 American men. The latter is the minimum length that standard condoms have been required to be. If that seems like a disconnect, well, it is, and change is coming—though not without some difficulty. In a look at the condom industry, the New York Times explains that revolution is challenging in large part because of the Food and Drug Administration. It classifies condoms as medical devices, which means any new product has to go through pricey clinical trials to gain approval. Case in point: The Gates Foundation gave Mark McGlothlin $100,000 to pursue his idea of making condoms from things like cow tendon, but he's far short of the $2 million he says the trials would cost. And the makeup of the tests themselves have been problematic. One is called the "hang-and-squeeze," and it's much like it sounds like: A condom is filled with water and then squeezed to look for leakage. But make a condom for the 5.57-inch—or less—man, and filling it with the required water volume doesn't work. The FDA and two standards organizations have started to acknowledge the limitations and tweak the requirements and tests, and that's opened the door for Boston-based Global Protection Corp. to begin selling condoms that come in 60 sizes. Per a press release, 28 of those sizes are larger than the length, width, or both of the "leading XL condom," while 27 are smaller than the typical one. (This study found a slightly different average penile length.)


Here is a news article: Story highlights Militant group will accept its identity as a French territory, the group says

 The separatist group has sought independence since 1976

 After nearly 40 years, a militant group on the island of Corsica says it is abandoning its armed struggle for independence from France.

 The banned National Liberation Front of Corsica, also known an FLNC, said Wednesday in a statement obtained by CNN affiliate France 3 that it had made the decision with no preconditions and had started the process of demilitarization.

 The birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, Corsica is located in the Tyrrehenian Sea, part of the Mediterranean, between the coasts of France and Italy. It has been under French control since the 1700s.

 The island has been plagued by terrorism -- including bombings, robberies, and assaults -- since 1976, with the FLNC in the throes of a long, low-intensity military campaign against French targets on the island.

 In 1997, several banks and government offices were targeted in more than 50 bomb explosions in one day, for which FLNC claimed responsibility.

 France's government launched a ferocious crackdown in Corsica after a top French official there was gunned down in 1998 on the street of Ajaccio. This spurred a series of nationalist protests, followed by a string of FLNC attacks against French targets.

 A branch of the separatist group announced in 2003 that it would suspend its military actions. But attacks by FLNC continued, although with less frequency. ||||| Corsica’s largest armed independence group has said it will lay down its weapons in favour of conventional political channels to further its ambitions on the French Mediterranean island.

 The unexpected decision by the National Liberation Front of Corsica signals an end to almost 40 years of armed struggle for Corsican independence that began with a series of attacks in May 1976.

 It also comes just a few months after Eta, the militant Basque separatist organisation, revealed in February that it had agreed to decommission some of its cache of weapons and explosives, taking a further step towards drawing a line under decades of bloody conflict in Spain.

 In a communiqué issued on Wednesday evening, the FLNC said: “Without prior notification and without ambiguity, our organisation has unilaterally decided to start a demilitarisation process and a progressive exit from clandestine activities.”

 It added: “The time has come for our organisation to intensify the fight in the public arena.”

 Gilles Millet, a journalist at Corsica, a monthly publication that has had contact with the armed group in the past, said that the 14-page communiqué was authentic.

 The group, which Mr Millet said comprised more than 100 members and whose independence cause still enjoys support among many of the island’s 320,000 residents, said that part of the reason for disarmament was several recent advances via conventional means.

 In April, the local assembly approved a bill limiting land and property purchases to those who have been a Corsican resident for at least five years. The idea was to put an end to a wave of speculation-driven inflation in real estate prices on the island in recent years.

 An estimated 40 per cent of properties on the island are second homes owned by non-residents. Now a popular tourist destination, Corsica was conquered by the French in the 18th century. Ajaccio, the capital, was the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte.

 The FLNC said on Wednesday that measures such as the property-owning restrictions “on subjects prohibited for so many years, trace the outlines of a political solution . . . we are moving from a phase of combat and resistance to a phase of the construction of a true Corsican political power”.

 Thousands of attacks have been carried out in Corsica and the French mainland since the separatist movement was founded, with the FLNC claiming responsibility in many cases.

 The attacks have included the murder of policemen, the bombing of banks in Paris and rocket attacks on government buildings. |||||
A summary of this is?

– There is now one less armed separatist group in Europe: After nearly 40 years and thousands of attacks, including bombings and assassinations, the National Liberation Front of Corsica has decided to call it a day, CNN reports. The banned militant group, which launched its violent campaign for independence from France in 1976, says it has begun the process of demilitarization without preconditions and will pursue its goals through political channels. The group's cause still has plenty of support on the island of 320,000 people, where at least 40% of homes are second properties owned by non-residents, the Financial Times finds. The regional assembly recently restricted property purchases to those who have been residents for at least five years, and the militants say that move and similar ones show that "we are moving from a phase of combat and resistance to a phase of the construction of a true Corsican political power."


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– Two prisoners were beheaded and at least another one died after being thrown off the roof in a riot that erupted yesterday in a prison in southern Brazil, authorities say. Inmates of the penitentiary in the city of Cascavel took at least two agents and several other inmates hostage in the uprising, said military police Capt. Ricardo Pinto, who added that negotiations for better conditions in the prison were still under way last night. The BBC and AFP say the riot was still ongoing this morning, and that a fourth prisoner had been killed after also being pushed from the roof. The revolt began before sunrise yesterday when a prison guard was captured during breakfast. Prisoners set some objects on fire and were using metal poles to cause damage to the 928-bed prison that housed more than 1,000 inmates. Dozens of the prisoners climbed onto the building's rooftop, with their faces covered with white fabric. Local media images showed at least 30 rebellious inmates shouting while they beat men held with ropes around their necks, or whose hands were tied behind them. The rioting inmates waved banners emblazoned with the initials PCC for a criminal prison gang formed in the 1990s. Jairo Ferreira, a lawyer for the prison guards' union, said the prisoners rioted to demand better food and medical care.

Image copyright AFP Image caption The rioters are negotiating with officials to end the protest

 Police in Brazil say rioters in a jail in the southern city of Cascavel have killed four fellow inmates and injured several others.

 Two of the victims were decapitated while two more died after they were pushed off the roof of the building.

 The authorities restarted negotiations with the rioters on Monday morning in the hope of ending the stand-off.

 At least 700 prisoners are reported to be involved in the uprising, which began on Sunday morning.

 The prisoners are said to be unhappy about how the prison is run, as well as about food and hygiene there.

 Local media showed prisoners beating men held with ropes around their necks on the roof of one of the buildings.

 'Psychological torture'

 The trouble broke out when warders delivering coffee to inmates were reportedly overpowered.

 As many as 1,000 prisoners then took over parts of the jail, ransacking and setting fire to much of it.

 The BBC's Wyre Davies in Rio de Janeiro says that rival prison gangs are most likely taking advantage of the riot to settle scores.

 The leaders of the rebellion are holding at least two prison guards hostage. It is not clear whether the hostages have been harmed.

 Guards have not yet been able to retrieve the bodies of the four people killed in the unrest.

 "They are using the severed head of one of the prisoners to inflict psychological torture on one of the hostages," said Jairo Ferreira, lawyer for the prison agents' union.

 "There are scenes of terror inside the jail now," he told local newspaper Gazeta do Povo.

 Negotiations restarted first thing on Monday to put an end to the uprising, which has led to the destruction of most of the penitentiary, according to O Globo newspaper.

 The Security Secretary of Parana State, Maria Tereza Uille Gomes, has travelled to Cascavel to take over the negotiations.

 Brazil has the world's fourth largest prison population, with half a million inmates in facilities meant to hold 300,000.

 Our correspondent says that, across the country, many poorly resourced jails are in effect run by powerful crime gangs.

 Earlier this year the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, called for an investigation into the high number of violent deaths in Brazil's prisons after previous riots at a jail in the north of the country left dozens of people dead. ||||| Brazilian authorities reached a deal with rioting prisoners Monday who killed four fellow inmates, beheading two of them, and held two guards hostage.

 Elson Faxina, a spokesman for the Parana state attorney's office, said an agreement was signed to end the uprising at the Cascavel city correctional facility and that prisoners were currently being transferred to another jail.

 "After that, the two guards who were held hostage will be freed," Faxina said, adding that police still had to enter the jail to assess the damage and determine if there are more victims.

 Some 800 inmates -- or 80 percent of those being held at the facility -- took part in the revolt, he said.

 The riot erupted Sunday as breakfast was being served, with inmates overpowering guards.

 Two prisoners were beheaded in the first surge of violence, and two others were thrown off the top of the cellblocks.

 View gallery Screen grab taken from CGN shows inmates holding a hostage at a prison in the southern city of Casca …

 The guards were taken hostage in the melee.

 An official with the guards' union said only 10 wardens were on duty at the time.

 Prison authorities said the inmates were demanding improved facilities, better quality food and more flexible visiting hours.

 But the inmate-on-inmate violence also suggested that rivalries between competing prison gangs played a role in the uprising.

 "The fact that prisoners took hostages would reinforce that view," Faxina said earlier.

 View gallery Screengrab from CGN shows inmates taking hostages at a prison in the southern city of Cascavel, Para …

 Television images had shown some of the rioting inmates -- dressed in orange jumpsuits with their faces obscured -- on the roof of the facility during the mutiny.

 Police have yet to identify the four inmates who were killed and retrieve the remains of the two who were beheaded, according to authorities.

 - Prison overcrowding -

 The state correctional center, which houses 1,140 inmates, has a capacity for 1,181, according to official data.

 Anthony Johnson, president of the prison guard union in Parana state, said the true capacity of the facility was just 900.

 "So there's overcrowding," he said. "For us, the situation is tense now but we hope it is resolved. A jail of this kind needs investment."

 According to the union of prison workers, a major lack of investment plagues the system, and the facility was threatened by a scarcity of operational and technical professionals as well as proper maintenance.

 "Many times the workers have to invest their money to buy the necessary items to do their jobs," the union said in a statement.

 "Without investment, we are always exposed to this. The prisoners claim that food is bad, that there are no lawyers to process things, minimal hygiene products don't exist, there are few correctional officers. All the factors together are a tragedy waiting to happen."

 Brazil holds 548,000 inmates in its prisons, but needs 207,000 more spaces to avoid overcrowding, according to the NGO Conectas Human Rights. |||||


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– Grim news from Belize: Searchers say they have found the bodies of missing Canadian woman Francesca Matus and her American boyfriend, Drew DeVoursney. According to Breaking Belize News, the bodies were found Monday evening in Corozal District, near the border with Mexico. "They were both found ... they are dead," says Nancy Rifenbark, a friend who joined a search party, per Global News. Matus' vehicle was found abandoned in a sugarcane field on Sunday around 15 miles from where they were last seen leaving a bar last Tuesday night. It isn't clear how the couple died, though foul play is widely suspected. Matus, 52, who spent winters in the Central American country, was supposed to fly back to Canada last Wednesday, the CBC reports. DeVoursney, a 36-year-old former Marine who had been with Matus for a few months, was scheduled to return to Georgia this week. "Drew is no longer with us. Someone had killed a United States Marine, my brother in arms, who survived Fallujah, Iraq, and Afghanistan," said friend Brandon Barfield, per the New York Daily News. Barfield says DeVoursney signed up after the 9/11 attacks and served two tours in Iraq. Police have not released any official comment on the deaths.

Posted: Monday, May 1, 2017. 6:45 p.m. CST.

 By BBN Staff: Confirmed reports to BBN is that the bodies of Canadian national, Francesca Matus, and American national Drew Devoursney were found today by a search party.

 The bodies were found in an area in Chan Chen Village in the Corozal District this evening around 5.

 The couple was reported missing on Wednesday when their friend, American national Joseph Milholen, went to pick up Matus to drop her off at the Philip Goldson International Airport.

 Milholen reported that he called her several times but to no avail.

 Milholen also called Devoursney but received no response.

 Since Wednesday, the police and volunteers had organized search parties and yesterday the white Isuzu rodeo was found abandoned in a cane field in the village of Paraiso in the Corozal district.

 While it is suspected that the couple was murdered, the Belize Police Department has not yet released an official report.

 © 2017, BreakingBelizeNews.com. This article is the copyrighted property of Breaking Belize News. Written permission must be obtained before reprint in online or print media. REPRINTING CONTENT WITHOUT PERMISSION AND/OR PAYMENT IS THEFT AND PUNISHABLE BY LAW.

 Comments ||||| The abandoned SUV of an Ontario woman missing in Belize has been found in a sugarcane field in the small Central American country, police confirmed Monday.

 It's the first sign of Francesca Matus and her boyfriend, U.S. citizen Drew De Voursney, since their mysterious disappearance last Tuesday night. CBC Toronto has confirmed Matus, the mother of two adult children, is originally from Sault Ste. Marie and spends winters in Belize.

 Matus's vehicle, a white Isuzu Rodeo, was discovered on Sunday afternoon near the village of Paraiso, Cpl. Herman Roberts of the Corozal Police Department said in a telephone interview.

 Roberts said officers and police dogs have returned to the area to search today.

 Last seen leaving bar

 Friends of Matus, 52, and De Voursney, 36, say the couple was last seen leaving a bar near Matus's home in the coastal city of Corozal, about 130 kilometres north of the capital, Belmopan.

 The Corozal Police Department confirmed that it found Francesca Matus's white Isuzu SUV on Sunday afternoon. (Channel 7 Belize)

 Nancy Rifenbark, a close friend of Matus, said she's relieved police finally have a clue, but the abandoned SUV is also concerning.

 "It's getting harder to keep positive, but I'm trying my best," Rifenbark said in an interview on Monday.

 Another friend, Joe Milholen, told CBC that Matus was planning to fly to Canada last Wednesday.

 Milholen was supposed to drive Matus to the airport, but he arrived at her home on Wednesday morning to find her missing along with the SUV.

 Milholen added that De Voursney's motorcycle was in the driveway. ||||| Drew DeVoursney, 36, and Francesca Matus, 52, were found dead in Belize on Sunday.

 A retired Marine from Georgia and his Canadian girlfriend were reportedly found dead by a search party in Belize, a week after the couple went missing.

 Drew DeVoursney, 36, and Francesca Matus, 52, were last seen at a bar in the coastal town of Corozal on April 25 but the couple never made it home. Matus was slated to leave the Central American country on Friday but she failed to make her return flight to Toronto.

 DeVoursney was expected back in Atlanta this week, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

 Matus’ car was found in a sugarcane field about 10 miles from the bar, the Journal-Constitution reported on Sunday.

 Body believed to be Arkansas boy found after days of searching

 “He’s been having a really good time down there, having a vacation,” Drew’s brother David DeVoursney told the Journal—Constitution. “He was looking forward to coming back to Georgia.”

 The couple had been dating for at least two months before they vanished.

 David DeVoursney declined to speak further when reached on the phone late Monday.

 A family friend who set up a GoFundMe to help find DeVoursney said he enlisted after the 9/11 terrorist attacks served at least two tours in Iraq.

 Woman 'fighting for her life' after losing part of leg to shark

 “Drew is no longer with us. Someone had killed a United States Marine, my brother in arms, who survived Fallujah, Iraq and Afghanistan,” wrote Brandon Barfield, before quoting a variation of the Dylan Thomas poem “Do not go gentle into that good night.”

 It’s unclear how the couple died and police have not stated whether foul play is suspected.

 Sign up for BREAKING NEWS Emails privacy policy Thanks for subscribing! ||||| A Canadian woman and her American boyfriend who went missing in Belize last week were found dead on Monday.

 Francesca Matus, 52, from Markham, Ont., was in Belize with her American boyfriend of several months Drew Devoursney, 36,when they disappeared last week.

 Local media said their bodies were found in the Corozal district, in Chan Chen Village around 5 p.m. local time.

 UPDATE: Deaths of Canadian woman, American boyfriend in Belize investigated as homicides

 Belize police have confirmed they are investigating the deaths as homicides and Devoursney’s mother said the American embassy told her that the pair were found with duct tape wrapped around their wrists.

 “Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the Canadian citizen who passed away in Belize. Consular services are being provided to the family during this difficult time,” Austin Jean, a spokesman for Global Affairs Canada, told Global News Tuesday.

 “Canadian consular officials continue to liaise with local authorities to gather additional information.”

 READ MORE: Francesca Matus: What we know about the Canadian found dead in Belize

 Nancy Rifenbark, a friend of the couple, confirmed the discovery to Global News Monday evening.

 “They were both found…They are dead,” she said via Facebook.

 Rifenbark was part of the search team Monday and was the last one to see the couple alive at a bar around 11 p.m. Tuesday.

 Francesca Matus' cousin/family spokesperson Ivana Pucci tells Global News "we are gutted" on the discovery of Francesca's body in Belize — Catherine McDonald (@cmcdonaldglobal) May 2, 2017

 A friend of the couple was supposed to pick them up Wednesday morning, but neither the couple nor their SUV was at their house.

 The SUV was found early in the afternoon Sunday, abandoned in a cane field near the village of Paraiso, north of Corozal.

 The Canadian government has not issued a travel advisory for Belize, but instructed Canadians earlier this year to “exercise a high degree of caution due to a high rate of violent crime throughout the country.”

 – With files from Catherine McDonald and The Canadian Press |||||


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LONDON (AP) — A Swedish doctor says four women who received transplanted wombs have had embryos transferred into them in an attempt to get pregnant.

 FILE - In this April 4, 2012 photo made available by the University of Goteborg in Sweden, the Swedish research team practices before the operations to transplant wombs at the Sahlgrenska Hospital in... (Associated Press)

 He would not say on Monday whether any of the women had succeeded. In all, nine women in Sweden have received new wombs since 2012, but two had to have them removed because of complications.

 The women received wombs donated by their mothers or other close relatives in an experimental procedure designed to test whether it's possible to transfer a uterus so a woman can give birth to her own biological child. The women had in vitro fertilization before the transplants, using their own eggs to make embryos.

 "We have already begun transferring embryos into four of the women and plan to make attempts with the others when they are ready," said Dr. Mats Brannstrom, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Goteburg, who is leading the research.

 Brannstrom predicted that three or four of the seven women might successfully give birth.

 "One or two more will perhaps get pregnant and miscarry, and one or two won't be able to get pregnant," he said.

 There have been two previous attempts to transplant a womb — in Turkey and Saudi Arabia — but both failed to produce babies. Doctors in Britain and Hungary also are planning similar operations, but using wombs from women who had just died.

 Brannstrom said any woman in the study who does get pregnant will be on a low dose of drugs to keep from rejecting the transplanted womb and will be monitored as a high-risk pregnancy.

 The transplants are intended to benefit women unable to have children because they lost a uterus to cancer or were born without one.

 Some doctors said women who got pregnant with a new uterus would have to be watched carefully for how the womb progresses throughout pregnancy.

 "There are questions about how the physiological changes in the uterus will affect the mother and whether the transplanted uterus will be conducive to a growing baby," said Dr. Charles Kingsland, a spokesman for Britain's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and a gynecologist at Liverpool Women's Hospital.

 In a study published last week, Brannstrom and colleagues described the procedures used to transplant the nine wombs and said there were "mild rejection episodes" in four patients.

 He said the transplanted wombs would be removed after a maximum of two pregnancies.

 Other experts called it a promising step but said it would be crucial that babies get enough nutrients from the mother's blood supply.

 "We really don't know if the blood flow to the uterus will increase and adapt in the same way," as in a regular pregnancy, said Dr. Yacoub Khalaf, director of the Assisted Conception unit at Guy's and St. Thomas' hospital in London.

 "It is a good sign they have done the (embryo) transfers," Khalaf said. "But a live birth will be the best validation that this works." ||||| Swedish medical team hoping for world first as women born without uterus or who lost it to cancer get embryo transfers

 Four of nine women given pioneering womb transplants in Sweden have now also had embryos transferred, the pioneering Swedish doctor treating them has said.

 Dr Mats Brannstrom, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Gothenburg University, said his team had embarked on a programme of embryo transfer for the women, who were either born without a womb or lost it as a result of cancer. All have ovaries so were able to produce eggs that were fertilised using IVF.

 Brannstrom predicted that three or four of the nine women might succeed in giving birth, which would be a world first. Other womb transplants have taken place in Saudi Arabia and Turkey but no recipients have yet managed to have a child. A pregnancy was achieved in Turkey, but it failed after two months.

 "We have already begun transferring embryos into four of the women and plan to make attempts with the others when they are ready," said Brannstrom. He would not say whether any of the women were pregnant at the moment. In a study published last week, the team said that there were "mild rejection episodes" in four women who received donated wombs. Two patients had to have the uterus removed because of complications.

 Brannstrom's technique is controversial because he is accepting wombs donated by living women, who are relatives or friends of his patients. Elsewhere, wombs from dead donors have been used.

 Dr Richard Smith, head of the UK charity Womb Transplant UK, which is trying to raise money to carry out transplants here, has said that large chunks of blood vessels had to be removed from the donor as well as the uterus itself, raising the risks of the operation for the donor. In the UK, there would be ethical questions because the operation is not a life-saving procedure, he said.

 The women will have to take drugs throughout their pregnancy to ensure their body does not reject the organ. They will also have to be watched carefully for how the womb progresses throughout pregnancy.

 Dr Charles Kingsland, a spokesman for Britain's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: "There are questions about how the physiological changes in the uterus will affect the mother and whether the transplanted uterus will be conducive to a growing baby."

 Brannstrom said the transplanted wombs would be removed after a maximum of two pregnancies. |||||

– Swedish doctors are advancing in their quest to implant embryos in women who have received pioneering womb implants, the Guardian reports. A medical team in Gothenburg has successfully transferred embryos to four of nine women with implants, a major advance after transferring just one embryo in January. Mats Brannstrom, who leads the team, wouldn't say if any of the women are pregnant, and a study by the group said four women experienced "mild rejection episodes"; in fact, two had their uterus removed due to complications. "One or two more will perhaps get pregnant and miscarry, and one or two won't be able to get pregnant," said Brannstrom, the AP reports. Other doctors say the women must be carefully watched to see how well a transplanted uterus functions. "It is a good sign they have done the transfers," said a doctor. "But a live birth will be the best validation that this works." Controversy has surrounded the Swedish project because it accepted wombs from live women who are friends or family of the patients, creating possible health risks for the donors. Two other womb transplant attempts, in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, failed to produce a child; only the Turkish donation was from a dead donor.


News article:

AUSTIN — Abortion rights advocates made a final push Wednesday against proposed state rules that would require abortion providers to cremate or bury fetal remains.

 Opponents of the rules, led by abortion rights advocacy group NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, rallied outside the Department of State Health Services building and delivered more than 5,500 signatures from people who oppose the proposal.

 Since the rules were proposed in July, several abortion rights advocates and abortion providers have vocalized their concerns, saying the requirements could be costly and create more obstacles for people obtaining abortions.

 "The rules target physicians that provide abortions and the hospitals that care for patients for no reason other than to make it harder to get a safe, legal abortion in Texas," said Blake Rocap, legislative counsel for NARAL Pro-Choice Texas. "It's so transparent that what they're really trying to do is denying access to abortion."

 The rules, which were introduced by the Department of State Health Services, would require all medical facilities, hospitals and clinics to cremate or bury fetal remains, no matter the period of gestation.

 After taking public comments this summer, the department resubmitted updated rules with an analysis of financial impact. The department also added an additional month for people to submit their opinions. The new comment period ends Monday. The department has not said when the rules would take effect if adopted.

 Department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said the agency found that cost shouldn't be a concern for hospitals and abortion providers.

 "What we found through our research is that the proposed rules won't increase total costs for healthcare facilities," Williams said in an email. "While the methods described in the new rules may have a cost, that cost is expected to be offset by costs currently being spent by facilities on disposition for transportation, storage, incineration, steam disinfection and/or landfill disposal."

 Abortion providers generally use third-party special waste services to dispose of the remains in sanitary landfills. Current rules allow for fetal tissue, blood, organs and other body parts to be discarded, incinerated or ground, and then disposed of in a sanitary landfill.

 The change would ban those specific methods for fetal tissue, but the rules would still apply for other body parts or organs.

 Geraldine Mongold, a software manager from Austin, attended the rally Wednesday and said the proposed rules could be complicated to enforce.

 "It creates an undue burden on women who either have an abortion or a miscarriage," Mongold said. "It's a slippery slope, too. ... They're taking away our rights to own our own bodily fluids and products."

 After the end of the comment period, the department will need to approve the final rules. The changes might not require approval by the Legislature, as they wouldn't be in statute. Lawmakers grant some state agencies the power to adopt rules with "specific rule making authority." |||||

 Pro-choice supporters rally outside the Supreme Court before the June 2016 court ruling in a case that imposed heavy restrictions on abortion clinics in Texas and was struck down. (Michael Reynolds/European Pressphoto Agency)

 After months of fierce opposition from abortion rights advocates and the medical community, Texas will require fetal remains to be cremated or buried instead of disposed in sanitary landfills.

 On Monday, health officials finalized the new rules prohibiting hospitals, abortion clinics and other health care facilities from disposing of fetal remains — regardless of the period of gestation. The rules will take effect Dec. 19, according to state health officials, the Texas Tribune reported.

 Following criticism from medical providers, the state’s Health and Human Services Commission clarified that the requirement does not apply to miscarriages or abortions that take place at home. It also does not require birth or death certificates to be filed, to maintain confidentiality.

 The move comes after months of public comment periods, hearings and more than 35,000 comments submitted to health officials since the rules were first proposed in early July. With little notice, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) approved the proposal, saying that he does not believe fetal remains should be “treated like medical waste and disposed of in landfills,” the Texas Tribune reported.

 The health commission has said the rules will result in “enhanced protection of the health and safety of the public.” Meanwhile, reproductive rights activists say the rules are unnecessary and make it more difficult for a woman to get a safe, legal abortion in the state.

 “The rules target physicians that provide abortions and the hospitals that care for patients,” said Blake Rocap, legislative counsel for advocacy group NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, the Dallas Morning News reported. “It’s so transparent that what they’re really trying to do is denying access to abortion.” The group rallied outside the Department of State Health Services in late October and delivered more than 5,500 signatures from individuals in opposition to the proposal.

 Others in the medical and funeral industries criticized the costs that would be associated with cremating or burying fetal remains — a process that can cost hospitals and abortion providers several thousands dollars in each case. But department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said the cost shouldn’t be a concern.

 “What we found through our research is that the proposed rules won’t increase total costs for healthcare facilities,” Williams said in an email, the Dallas Morning News reported. “While the methods described in the new rules may have a cost, that cost is expected to be offset by costs currently being spent by facilities on disposition for transportation, storage, incineration, steam disinfection and/or landfill disposal.”

 [Supreme Court rules against Texas and for science in abortion case]

 Abortion providers generally use third-party special waste services to dispose of fetal remains. Previous rules allowed fetal remains, along with other medical tissue, to be ground up and discharged into a sewer system, incinerated, or handled by some other approved process before being disposed of in a landfill.

 David Brown, senior staff attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, on Monday said the rule was “an unnecessary burden and an intrusion” on a woman’s personal beliefs. “These new restrictions reveal the callous indifference that Texas politicians have toward women,” Brown said, the Texas Tribune reported.

 Stephanie Toti, senior counsel for the center, said in a statement, “Texas politicians are at it again, inserting their personal beliefs into the health care decisions of Texas women.”

 Meanwhile, several Republican lawmakers in the state have expressed support for the proposed rule.

 “For far too long, Texas has allowed the most innocent among us to be thrown out with the daily waste,” state Sen. Don Huffines (R-Dallas) said in a packed public hearing on the proposed rule in August, the Austin American-Statesman reported. “Life begins at conception.”

 Women who attended the hearing in August provided testimonials with mixed responses and personal details. One woman said she felt a great deal of closure burying a fetus after she had a miscarriage. Another said she had an abortion after she was raped, and that if she had been forced to bury the fetus it would have “essentially been the state of Texas rubbing my face in my own rape.”

 Some groups, like the Center for Reproductive Rights, have said they would likely challenge the new rules in court. Because the rules fall under the rulemaking authority of the state health department, they do not need legislative approval. But Republican lawmakers have already filed legislation to write the rules into statutory law when the legislature reconvenes in January, the Texas Tribune reported.

 [How restrictive are abortion regulations in your state?]

 Other states have passed restrictions on the use of fetal remains. South Dakota made it illegal to use aborted fetal tissue in research. In Idaho and Alabama it is illegal to buy, sell, donate or experiment on such remains.

 A law in Indiana, among other things, also called for abortion providers to bury or cremate fetal tissue. Additionally, it would have prohibited abortions sought solely because a fetus had been potentially diagnosed with a disability such as Down syndrome. But in June, a federal judge suspended the law from going into effect, finding that it violated U.S. Supreme Court precedents protecting a woman’s right to choose an abortion and the right to privacy in making that decision, the Indianapolis Star reported.

 [A Catholic priest put an aborted fetus on the altar in an appeal for Donald Trump]

 As Emma Green wrote in the Atlantic, legal guidelines for organ and tissue use are somewhat of a murky area. Tanya Marsh, a law professor at Wake Forest University, said, “The question of what we own of ourselves — what is the legal status of biological material that’s been removed from us — there’s very little law about that, except to say that it’s not ours.”

 And for fetuses, such questions become even more complex, she added.

 “That’s an area in between people born alive and a part of a person that had no capability of independent existence,” Marsh said. “These are deep philosophical, religious, and legal questions that we’ve punted.”

 More from Morning Mix:

 Championship-bound Brazilian soccer team nearly wiped out as charter plane crashes in Colombia

 ‘Worst possible conditions’: Residents flee Gatlinburg, Tenn., as flames engulf popular resort town

 Pooping in deep space has NASA stumped. The ‘Space Poop Challenge’ is your way to help. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– Texas women came forward earlier this month to tell their miscarriage and abortion stories to fend off proposed new funerary rules for embryonic and fetal tissue, but sharing their experiences apparently fell short of the mark. Per state health officials, starting Dec. 19, hospitals, abortion clinics, and other facilities will be banned from disposing of fetal remains in sanitary landfills, the Texas Tribune reports. Instead, they'll be required to bury or cremate the remains, no matter the gestational age—a move spurring "intense outcry" from reproductive rights advocates, as well as from medical providers. "The state [Health and Human Services Commission] has once again ignored the concerns of the medical community and thousands of Texans by playing politics with people's private health-care decisions," Heather Busby, director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, says in a statement. But health officials say they've addressed the major concerns brought up during what the Washington Post calls "months of controversy" since the initial July proposal. In terms of privacy, birth or death certificates aren't required, and miscarriages or abortions at home don't have to comply. As for the costs, the medical care facilities will pay, with costs "offset by the elimination of some current methods of disposition," per the health department. The commission notes the rules will lead to "enhanced protection of the health and safety of the public," but women's rights advocates say it's nothing more than a veiled attempt to restrict abortion access, per the Dallas Morning News. "These new restrictions reveal the callous indifference that Texas politicians have toward women," a Center for Reproductive Rights lawyer says, adding the rules will "almost certainly trigger costly litigation," per the Tribune.


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– Colorado Rockies rookie Trevor Story is socking dingers and mashing taters at a historic rate through the first four games of the baseball season. ESPN reports the 23-year-old is the first major league rookie to homer in each of his first four professional games and only the fifth player since 1900 to homer in the first four games of the season. He's also the first player ever with two multi-homer games in the first four games of the season. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it, let alone a rookie," Rockies manager Walt Weiss says. With six home runs through four games, Story is on pace for 243 on the season, Fox Sports reports. The record is 73. "It's legendary what he's doing," ESPN quotes Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez as saying. "He's playing like a Hall of Famer right now.'' In fact, Story's batting gloves and helmet have already been sent to Cooperstown due to his historic start. Story, who only hit 20 home runs in all of last season in the minor leagues, is modest about the whole thing. "I'm not trying to hit home runs," he says. "Sometimes it kind of happens." The Rockies gave Story his chance after the team's starting shortstop was suspended over domestic abuse allegations.

Rockies shortstop Trevor Story made ridiculous amounts of history Friday when he homered for the fifth and sixth times in his first four games in Colorado's home opener against the San Diego Padres.

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 "I've said it before, I'm not trying to hit home runs, sometimes it kind of happens," Story said.

 According to Elias Sports Bureau, via ESPN, he is the first player in 100 years to homer in each of his first four major league games. And he's the fifth player since 1900 — Chris Davis (Orioles, 2013), Nelson Cruz (Rangers, 2011), Mark McGwire (Cardinals, 1998) and Willie Mays (Giants, 1971) are the others — to hit a home run in each of his team's first four games in a season.

 Trevor is on pace for 243 homers in 2016 … True Story.https://t.co/vZ3Sp7nuSn — MLB (@MLB) April 9, 2016

 "It's legendary what he's doing," Rockies slugger Carlos Gonzalez said. "He's fearless. He's playing like a Hall of Famer right now."

 After going yard in both the fourth and ninth inninngs of a 13-6 loss, he has six home runs and 11 RBI in his first 19 major-league at-bats.

 And this isn't a product of Coors Field. Story, 23, belted his first four home runs in the Rockies' season-opening series at Arizona.

 "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it, let alone a rookie," manager Walt Weiss said. "He's fun to watch, one of the few bright spots today."

 Story hit 20 home runs all of last season at Class AA New Britain and Class AAA Albuquerque. He won the starting job when Jose Reyes was suspended under MLB's new domestic abuse policy before the start of spring training.

 Story said Thursday he had donated his helmet and batting gloves from his historic start to the Hall of Fame, but wasn't about to part with any of his bats. On Friday, Story had three hits and drove in four runs while playing for the first time at Coors.

 The Padres, meanwhile, broke loose after they were the first team in big league history to be shut out in their first three games. San Diego was outscored 25-0 while getting swept by the Dodgers.

 Even the Padres were talking about Story, however.

 "He's come out of nowhere," Kemp said. "I think anybody who hits six homers in four games, especially being his first week in the big leagues, is impressive. He's got a great swing. It's definitely harder than it looks."

 The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| DENVER -- Colorado rookie sensation Trevor Story's home-run surge continued Friday, when he homered twice to become the first major league player to connect in each of his first four games.

 Editor's Picks Story, Padres set and break multiple records in the same game Trevor Story continues his record home run tear while the Padres finally score in a game with numerous records being set

 Rockies owner: Reyes 'should pay' if in the wrong Rockies owner Dick Monfort on suspended shortstop Jose Reyes: "If he did something wrong, he should pay for it." 1 Related

 Story became just the fifth major league player since 1900 to homer in each of his team's first four games of a season. He joins Chris Davis, who did it for the Baltimore Orioles in 2013, Nelson Cruz for the Texas Rangers in 2011, Mark McGwire for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998 and Willie Mays for the San Francisco Giants in 1971.

 Story, 23, has hit six home runs since he made his debut on Opening Day. He hit a two-run drive off San Diego right-hander Colin Rea in the fourth inning and then hit a solo shot off Ryan Buchter in the ninth. The Padres won, however, 13-6.

 "I've said it before, I'm not trying to hit home runs," Story said. "Sometimes it kind of happens."

 Nobody before him had ever posted two multi-homer games in his first four big league games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

 "It's legendary what he's doing," Rockies slugger Carlos Gonzalez said. "He's fearless. He's playing like a Hall of Famer right now.''

 Cooperstown already has Story's helmet and batting gloves. Keep this up, Gonzalez said, "and he's going to go to the Hall of Fame'' himself.

 From the on-deck circle, Gonzalez has had the best view of Story, who hit 70 homers in five minor league seasons. Story got three hits and drove in four runs Friday. He's hitting .368 with 11 RBIs.

 Rockies shortstop Trevor Story became the first rookie in major league history to homer in his first four games and just the fifth player since 1900 to homer in four games to start a season. Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports

 "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it, let alone a rookie," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "He's fun to watch, one of the few bright spots today."

 Even the Padres were talking about Story.

 "He's come out of nowhere,'' San Diego outfielder Matt Kemp said. "I think anybody who hits six homers in four games, especially being his first week in the big leagues, is impressive. He's got a great swing. It's definitely harder than it looks."

 Story played for the first time at Coors Field on Friday. The Rockies raised the height of the fences over the winter, but Story's 411-foot drive down the left field line Friday was a no-doubter. It pulled the Rockies to 6-5 and chased Rea.

 One Heckuva Story Rockies rookie shortstop Trevor Story is one of only five major league players since 1900 to homer in each of his team's first four games of a season. Year HRs in first 4 Total 2016 Trevor Story ?? 2013 Chris Davis 53 2011 Nelson Cruz 29 1998 Mark McGwire 70 1971 Willie Mays 18 >> Source: Elias Sports Bureau

 His ninth-inning shot came with the bases clear and the Rockies trailing, 13-5. Story also had an RBI single in the second.

 Story won the starting job this spring after star shortstop Jose Reyes was suspended with pay under the sport's new domestic abuse policy just before the start of spring training for an alleged incident with his wife at a Maui resort hotel on Oct. 31.

 Rockies owner Dick Monfort said Friday that if Reyes "did something wrong, he should pay for it."

 Monfort, who spoke with commissioner Rob Manfred on Thursday and wasn't given a timetable for a decision, said he was unsure whether the public relations aspect or a possible fan backlash would play a part in any future decisions about Reyes.

 "I'd like to know exactly what happened," Monfort said. "It's easy for us all to speculate on what happened. But really, until you really know, it's hard. You're dealing with a guy's life too. But if he did something wrong, he should pay for it."

 Reyes was scheduled to go on trial last Monday after pleading not guilty to abusing a family or household member. However, prosecutors decided to drop the charge after saying Reyes' wife wasn't cooperating with the investigation. Manfred has said he expects to make a decision on Reyes soon.

 The Associated Press contributed to this report. |||||