Category: Reproductive Rights

Is Dr. Rachel Levine a DES Son? – Jill Escher

Perhaps the most famous face of transgenderism in recent years has been that of Dr. Rachel Levine, who served as the United States assistant secretary for health under the Biden administration.

I find it absolutely mystifying that during the entire time of massive media attention on Dr. Levine and her(sic) support for trans and LGBTQIA+ causes, there was never a single mention of an extremely obvious question — at least extremely obvious to anyone who knows anything about medical history.

Was Levine a victim of diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure?

DES is a potent synthetic estrogen drug. It was considered a sort of “miracle drug” in the post-war Baby Boom era, and was administered to millions of pregnant women worldwide from the 1950s through 1971, and even later in many cases. This lab-made pseudo-hormone had been widely hyped (falsely) as an anti-miscarriage treatment or a sort of vitamin that helped produced larger, healthier babies.

However, instead of producing healthy babies, DES was a teratogenic chemical mutilator later found to increase risk for a laundry list of horrors for the exposed offspring. In females, these included but were hardly limited to, vaginal and cervical cancer, breast cancer, malformed uterus and fallopian tubes, infertility, and miscarriage. In males, it was linked to testicular cancers, penile and testicular abnormalities, and gender identity differences. DES — with its property of strongly binding to estrogen receptors despite not being a natural estrogen — had the power to feminize a developing male brain.

The Boston area where Levine was born in 1957 was a hotspot for DES use, related to the fact that DES’s strongest advocates, Smith & Smith, were Boston-based and associated with Harvard. The Smith & Smith DES protocol was unusually intensive, involving massive doses of the drug over many months of gestation. The mothers who were targeted tended to be more educated and on the high side of the socioeconomic ladder, like Levine’s lawyer mom.

Massachusetts was such a DES hotspot that it was in Boston that the toxicity of DES was first identified, in a cluster of girls with rare vaginal cancers. So it is hardly strange to contemplate that Levine’s mother could have taken DES, perhaps under the hyper-intensive Smith & Smith protocol, inadvertently causing her son’s male brain to develop along a more female-typical pattern.

Through an online DES support group I’ve had the honor of meeting many DES sons and talking with them about their experiences. Of course not all are transgender, most certainly are not. But some are. And they have lived with a torment of feeling feminine while living inside a male body. Some have transitioned, others have not. The transition often brings an element of psychological relief.

There is much talk of the trans phenomenon being “cultural” in nature. But almost no attention is paid to the toxicological background that could be raising risk for gender-confused brains. While DES was an early example of a gender-bendy drug affecting fetal brain (and body) development, it’s hardly the only pregnancy medication to have such an effect.

I myself was prenatally exposed to massive quantities of synthetic sex steroid hormones as a fetus in 1965. I have written about this before in the journal Environmental Epigenetics, the blog Reality’s Last Stand (“Discovering My Gender-Bendy Prenatal History”) and other places if you’d like to hear the details. Millions of us were exposed to these powerful sex-hormone-disrupting drugs — but few of us have any clue about it. Btw, I am certainly not trans, or even gay, but the exposures did subtly masculinize me.

Most notably, the synthetic progesterone Makena (aka 17-OHPC) was prescribed to pregnant women until 2023, when the FDA finally revoked authorization. While research on the fetal impacts of this drug is horrifically insufficient, the few studies that have been published point to subtle derangements of brain and behavioral development in the exposed offspring, what one famous researcher called a different “flavoring.” Did mass Makena exposure help fuel the escalating rates of trans, non-binary, gender-fluid and non-heterosexual identities? What about other hormone-disrupting drugs often used in pregnancy, like antipsychotics and anti-depressants? And my ever-favorite, general anesthesia, which can throw the hormone system for loop, especially in the youngest.

Of course no one knows that answer for sure. But what we can be sure about is this: we are fools to presume that the rise of trans and related identities is merely cultural. Culture may be acting on minds that have been legitimately de-masculinized or de-feminized by hormone-disrupting fetal exposure, or even the next-generation legacy of exposure. The biological angle has been ignored, but is likely contributing.

PS: If I were a betting person, I’d bet big on Dr. Levine being a DES son.

[Ed: Tragic if true – but it still wouldn’t make Dr Levine a woman. Feminine men would be welcomed if they didn’t attempt to undermine the rights of women and dismantle child safeguarding. What this does demonstrate is that the medico-pharmaceutical industry is unconscionable and cannot be trusted to learn from its own scandalous history.]

Source: Is Dr. Rachel Levine a DES Son? – Jill Escher

Poisoned in the Womb: When Medicine’s Mistakes Echo Through Generations – Jill Escher | Genspec

Jill Escher’s journey began with two profoundly autistic sons and led to a shocking discovery: her mother received weekly injections of powerful synthetic hormones during pregnancy. Now, as rates of both autism and gender dysphoria explode, Escher connects dots that the medical establishment refuses to see. From DES disasters to modern “anti-miscarriage” drugs given until 2023, this conversation exposes how yesterday’s medical experiments may be driving today’s neurodevelopmental crisis.

While most remember thalidomide as medicine’s greatest scandal, DES (diethylstilbestrol) affected far more people—millions of women over decades. This synthetic estrogen given to prevent miscarriage didn’t just fail; it caused rare vaginal cancers in daughters, increased miscarriage rates, and is now affecting the third generation. “The makers of this drug really got off easy,” Escher notes. “They’ve caused countless billions of dollars in damages.” Perhaps most controversially, she suggests DES may have feminized male brains, describing meetings with men in their 60s who transitioned after “fighting this his whole life.”

In a revelation that should make headlines, Escher exposes that Makena—essentially the same synthetic progesterone she was exposed to—continued being injected into pregnant women until 2023. “Millions of fetuses exposed to this drug heavily during a period of very rapid brain development.” The kicker? “This drug… has been given to male transgender [individuals]… to feminize the males. So it was part of hormonal therapy. This particular drug that we’re giving to induce transgender is the same drug that we’ve been giving to pregnant women.”

Escher’s current research focus seems almost science fiction: parents’ exposure to general anesthesia may damage their germ cells (eggs and sperm), affecting their future children’s neurodevelopment. “Animal study after animal study” shows these effects, potentially explaining higher autism rates in industrialized areas with more surgeries. The exposure window is shockingly broad—”It could be the mother when she was a fetus, it could be the mother when she was a child… pre-conception adult.” The implications are staggering—every surgery under general anesthesia potentially affecting future generations.

Source: Poisoned in the Womb: When Medicine’s Mistakes Echo Through Generations – Jill Escher

Childbirth: The NSW hospitals where 60 per cent of women have caesareans

Almost 60 per cent of births at some Sydney private hospitals are now by caesarean, as more women seek to “control” childbirth amid increased discussion of traumatic experiences in labour.

At North Sydney’s Mater Hospital and Kareena Private Hospital in Caringbah, more than 59 per cent of first-time mothers aged 20 to 34 gave birth via caesarean in 2023, according to NSW Health’s latest Mothers and Babies report.

A Mater Hospital spokesperson said it had observed an increase in caesareans “in part” due to rising maternal age and patient preference, but also because it opened a new operating theatre purpose-built for the procedure in 2019.

In 2023, 39.2 per cent of births in NSW were caesareans, up from 35.1 per cent in 2019 and significantly above the World Health Organisation’s global target range of 10 to 15 per cent.

The report found elective, not emergency, caesareans drove the increase.

The average age of a NSW woman giving birth has risen to 31.4 years.

Women who have caesarean births are at increased risk of placental abnormalities and hospital infections, and must also recover from major surgery in the weeks after their birth. In Australia, only 12 per cent of women have a vaginal delivery after a caesarean.

Concerns have been raised about private obstetricians steering women towards caesareans for their own convenience.

Last year, NSW’s landmark birth trauma inquiry heard from thousands of women.

Dahlen said the inquiry had been overwhelmingly beneficial – and applauded funding for midwifery continuity of care models in June’s budget, a key inquiry recommendation. But she was concerned discussion of traumatic birth experiences had left a minority of women fearing vaginal delivery, including higher-risk women refusing to give birth in hospital, and those who felt caesareans were “the only way they can control their birth”.

There were 88,297 births in NSW in 2023, the fewest since 2004.

Source: Childbirth: The NSW hospitals where 60 per cent of women have caesareans

Inaccurate and misogynistic: why we need to make the term ‘hysterectomy’ history | The Conversation

The name hysterectomy is rooted in a mental health condition – “hysteria” – that was once believed to affect women. But we now know this condition doesn’t exist.

Continuing to call this significant operation a hysterectomy both perpetuates misogyny and hampers people’s understanding of what it is.

Hysteria was a psychiatric condition first formally defined in the 5th century BCE. It had many symptoms, including excessive emotion, irritability, anxiety, breathlessness and fainting.

But hysteria was only diagnosed in women. Male physicians at the time claimed these symptoms were caused by a “wandering womb”. They believed the womb (uterus) moved around the body looking for sperm and disrupted other organs.

About one in three Australian women will have their uterus removed. A hysterectomy is one of the most common surgeries worldwide.

However, in a survey colleagues and I did of almost 500 Australian adults, which is yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, one in five people thought hysterectomy meant removal of the ovaries, not the uterus.

It’s true some hysterectomies for cancer do also remove the ovaries. A hysterectomy or partial hysterectomy is the removal of only the uterus, a total hysterectomy removes the uterus and cervix, while a radical hysterectomy usually removes the uterus, cervix, uterine tubes and ovaries.

There are important differences between these hysterectomies, so they should be named to clearly indicate the nature of the surgery.

Research has shown ambiguous terminology such as “hysterectomy” is associated with low patient understanding of the procedure and the female anatomy involved.

There are many eponyms (something named after a person) in anatomy and medicine, such as the Achilles tendon and Parkinson’s disease. They are almost exclusively the names of white men.

Eponyms for female anatomy and procedures include the Fallopian tubes, Pouch of Douglas, and Pap smear.

Pap smear gives no indication of its location or function. The new cervical screening test is named exactly that, which clarifies it samples cells of the cervix. This helps people understand this tests for risk of cervical cancer.

Language in medicine impacts patient care and health. It needs to be accurate and clear, not include words associated with bias or discrimination, and not disempower a person.

For these reasons, the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists recommends removing eponyms from scientific and medical communication.

Meanwhile, experts have rightly argued it’s time to rename the hysterectomy to uterectomy.

Source: Inaccurate and misogynistic: why we need to make the term ‘hysterectomy’ history

100’s of Mothers Get Chance to Regain Custody after Evaluator Suspended | Women’s Coalition

Hundreds of British mothers now have a chance to regain custody and belatedly get justice following a court-appointed evaluator being exposed as unqualified and suspended. Possibly over a thousand.

This evaluator has conducted at least 1680 evaluations! So that’s lots of mamas who have the opportunity to get their babies back.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the mothers will likely have to appeal, and in the UK mothers must get permission. Then, if they get permission, they still have to win the appeal, a high hurdle. And then it’s back to Family Court, where a “qualified” evaluator will be appointed—and who will likely do the same thing, only with proper credentials.

But at least now there is a chance. If nothing else, these mothers, who’ve been so wronged in the Family Court system, can have a sense of empowerment by holding this disgusting evaluator somewhat accountable.

It turns out Graham Flatman is an educational psychologist, not a clinical psychologist and is only qualified to assess children, not adults.

The HCPC found Graham Flatman had misled and damaged the reputation of the court and had “potentially” harmed the mother. They asserted his “misconduct brought the profession into disrepute and had the potential to harm [the mother]”.

Flatman was suspended for six months—a slap on the hand, considering he is essentially guilty of committing fraud on the court in each and every one of the 1680 cases.

Although it is great that this one fraudulent evaluator is being exposed and all these mothers now have a chance at justice, this needs to be put into the larger context of the Custody Crisis. Remember: the personal is political. It does no good to tell stories without linking them to the larger issue—and fighting for an effective solution.

Focusing on the fact that this particular psychologist did not have the proper credentials to assess adults makes it sound like he is just a bad apple. When, in fact, he was appointed just like all the others because he is known to go along to get along with the agenda to steer cases to the father.

Whether trained or qualified—or not, they are all colluding in the goal of switching custody to the father. Judges appoint professionals who will lie and distort, then simply parrot their lies in the Findings and Orders (and usually add more of their own).

The important point is that judges and appointees are all in on it. Training will not help. They know exactly what they are doing.

Source: 100’s of Mothers Get Chance to Regain Custody after Evaluator Suspended

Monash IVF baby mix-up: Misplaced embryo resulted in woman giving birth to stranger’s baby | SMH

A misplaced embryo in a Monash IVF laboratory, which was written off as a counting error for up to a year, ultimately led to a woman giving birth to a stranger’s baby.

The fallout from that error has caused heartbreak for two families, sent shockwaves through thousands of others relying on fertility treatments, tarnished the reputation of one of the world’s oldest and most respected IVF businesses, and forced an urgent overhaul of Australia’s reproductive technology sector.

As Monash IVF’s reputation and share price plummeted, the Australian Stock Exchange demanded to know why the fertility giant had not informed shareholders sooner.

Just two months later, Monash IVF admitted a second bungle had resulted in a Melbourne woman being implanted with the wrong embryo at its Clayton clinic on June 5. In that incident, the woman’s own embryo, rather than her partner’s, had been mistakenly transferred.

Public shock over the two embryo mix-ups followed a $56 million settlement Monash IVF had agreed to in August 2024 after a class action involving more than 700 families who might have had their viable embryos needlessly destroyed due to a faulty genetic testing program.

Monash IVF chief executive Michael Knaap resigned on June 12, and McLeod’s investigation has now been expanded to determine if wider systemic issues are occurring within the embattled fertility giant.

The fallout is also extending to the entire fertility industry, with the country’s health ministers having ordered an urgent review on June 13 to find a more stringent way of regulating the lucrative assisted reproductive technology sector and ensure patients are put before profits.

Source: Monash IVF baby mix-up: Misplaced embryo resulted in woman giving birth to stranger’s baby

How abortion is weaponised in the courts – 7am

Abortion was fully decriminalised across Australia in 2023, but that hasn’t stopped abortion being weaponised against women in the courtroom. Writer and producer, Madison Griffiths, who has spent a decade covering reproductive rights, was shocked to learn that abortion records were surfacing in custody battles in the family court, and even sexual abuse trials.Today, Madison Griffiths on the right to choose – and how the law is struggling to keep up with this new form of domestic abuse.

Source: How abortion is weaponised in the courts – 7am

Genea Fertility data leak: Blackmail risks loom over donors | SBS News

In vitro fertilisation — or IVF as it is commonly known — is becoming increasingly popular in Australia, with one in every 18 births now resulting from the treatment.

Australia witnessed a record number of data breaches in 2024, according to Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, the privacy watchdog, with health service providers representing the highest number of breaches.

Meanwhile, the IVF industry is generating huge income.

Genea and two other companies — Monash IVF and Virtus — account for more than 80 per cent of the industry’s total revenue, which is predicted to reach $810 million this year.

Monash IVF was also the target of a malicious cyberattack in 2019, when its email server was breached and customers received scam emails appearing to be from the clinic.

Earlier this week, the company disclosed it had incorrectly transferred the wrong embryo to a patient, two months after a patient was mistakenly implanted with another customer’s embryo, prompting its CEO to step down.

Unlike financial fraud, where victims can demonstrate losses in dollar figures, the value placed on privacy is subjective.

Faith Gordon, an associate professor of law at the Australian National University, says people impacted by breaches can make legal claims for the breach itself as well as its impact.

As the number of data breaches continues to rise, Gordon says the need for a specific code for children’s privacy is vital.

“Children have very specific rights and very specific vulnerabilities, and these need to be protected, and they also need to be empowered to actually access justice when something does go wrong in this space as well.”

Source: Genea Fertility data leak: Blackmail risks loom over donors | SBS News

Women’s data from period tracking apps ‘being sold at scale’ | The Telegraph

Period tracking apps are a “privacy risk” to women, University of Cambridge researchers have warned in a new report.

The technology experts said private data from the apps, which track menstrual cycles and are often used by women who want to conceive, were being collected and “sold at scale”.

Menstrual data can provide insights into women’s health and their reproductive choices. The apps contain data on exercise, diet, medication, sexual preferences, hormone levels and contraception use.

This information was a “gold mine” for consumer profiling and was often being sold on to third-parties, the report said.

[I]n the wrong hands, the data collected by the apps regarding pregnancy status could result in health insurance “discrimination”, risks to job prospects or even domestic abuse.

Source: Women’s data from period tracking apps ‘being sold at scale’

Monash IVF caught in second embryo transfer bungle | SMH

Monash IVF has transferred the wrong embryo into a Melbourne woman, the second such incident admitted by the fertility giant in two months.

In a statement to the ASX on Tuesday, Monash IVF revealed it had mistakenly transferred a patient’s own embryo to her during a process in which she was supposed to receive an embryo from her partner as they sought to extend their family.

The Melbourne bungle comes just two months after Monash IVF was forced to admit an embryo mix-up at its Brisbane clinic resulted in a Queensland woman giving birth to a stranger’s baby.

Source: 12ft