Marijuana can stunt or even kill babies in the womb: Study



A systematic review published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics concluded with moderate confidence on the basis of 51 studies with over 21.1 million participants that cannabis use during pregnancy can result in early births, low birth weights, and unusually small babies. The review also indicated significantly increased odds of miscarriages.

The study's authors, all but one of whom are based out of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, noted at the outset that the self-reported use of medical and nonmedical marijuana among pregnant women in the U.S. has more than doubled over the past two decades and continues to increase, despite warnings from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology.

According to the ACOG's Committee on Obstetric Practice, "self-reported prevalence of marijuana use during pregnancy ranges from 2% to 5% in most studies but increases to 15–28% among young, urban, socioeconomically disadvantaged women."

The OHSU researchers behind the new study noted further that marijuana is now reportedly the most commonly used federally illicit drug in pregnancy.

"This is cause for concern," wrote the researchers, because the main psychoactive component of cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol, can cross the placenta and bind to endocannabinoid receptors on preborn babies' major organs.

The existing scientific literature already associates maternal marijuana use with numerous dire consequences, including stillbirth and fetal growth restriction as well as impaired cognition, decreased attention span, behavioral problems, and compromised visual-motor coordination in prenatally exposed children.

The researchers noted, however, that "clinicians are not consistently counseling patients regarding prenatal cannabis use, partly because of the limited and mixed available evidence."

'Ideally, it's best not to be exposed to THC.'

"Patients are coming to me in their prenatal visits saying, 'I quit smoking and drinking, but is it safe to still use cannabis?'" said lead author Jamie Lo, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the OHSU School of Medicine. "Until direct harms have been proven, they perceive it to be safe to use."

"As the prevalence of prenatal cannabis use is rising, there is an urgent need for evidence-driven recommendations on the safety of use during pregnancy and while breastfeeding," Lo said in March.

Keen to furnish clinicians with a better understanding of the associated risks so that they can confidently counsel mothers regarding prenatal cannabis use, the researchers analyzed 51 observational studies including eight new studies, and raised the certainty of evidence for various potential adverse effects.

The researchers found that prenatal cannabis was linked to a 52% higher risk of premature birth and a 75% higher risk of low birth weight. They also found a 29% higher risk of infant death associated with the use of cannabis during pregnancy.

OHSU researchers revealed in another study recently published in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology that a mother's use of cannabis while pregnant could adversely impact her baby's lung development and function, potentially resulting in asthma and other chronic respiratory health conditions.

In addition to jeopardizing the health of babies, marijuana has also been linked to various medical problems in adults, including cancer.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cannabis use can lead to increased risk of stroke, heart disease, and other vascular diseases; can harm lung tissues and cause scarring and damage to small blood vessels; and has been linked to depression, schizophrenia, and other mental illnesses.

Lo told CNN, "Ideally, it's best not to be exposed to THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient of cannabis, no matter what form you're using."

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Trump administration open to $5,000 baby bonus for new mothers: 'Sounds like a good idea'



President Donald Trump said it seemed like good policy to hand out money to new mothers as an incentive to increase U.S. birth rates.

Trump endorsed the idea at the White House on Tuesday when he told the New York Post he liked the idea of a cash incentive to get more Americans to have children.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," the president reportedly said.

The sum of $5,000 would be given to new mothers, with 30% of Fulbright educational grants given to applicants who are married or have children.

Another proposed program, according to the Post, would involve education surrounding menstrual cycles and ovulation so women can better determine the best time for them to conceive.

Pundits have often pointed to Hungary's reward system as a way to increase birthrates; the European country touts tax deductions and credits for each child a family has.

According to a government website, a family's first child allows for a credit equivalent to around $185 USD, while a second child earns a credit of around $370, and a third child credit is worth $610. Tax deductions are also provided per child.

At the same time, mothers with four children or more are exempt from income tax.

'A $5,000 baby bonus is wasteful and won't make a dent, especially among middle to upper class families.'

However, Hungary's birth rates have not seen a huge resurgence despite the country expanding its offers for new families. Hungary offered no-interest loans of around $33,000 to its citizens, which would be forgiven if the family has three children.

As of 2022, Hungary's live births per 1,000 people was just 9.3, according to Macrotrends, falling short of the United States' rate of 11 per 1,000.

U.S. birth rates first dropped drastically in the 1970s before increasing until 1990, when the rate was 16.7 per 1,000 people.

Commentator Maggie Anders, who has spoken extensively on the topic, reacted to the story about $5,000 for new mothers and cited statistics that showed the national average cost of raising a child annually is $23,000. This totaled $414,000 from birth to 18 years old, rendering $5,000 negligible in that journey, she claimed.

"A $5,000 baby bonus is wasteful and won't make a dent, especially among middle to upper class families," she wrote on X. "Obviously, the cost of raising a child depends on a number of factors, but it does not negate the point that housing, daycare, food costs are all very expensive. $5,000 doesn't begin to cover it," the commentator continued. "A 'that'd be nice' isn't good policy. It's wealth redistribution with unclear goals."

Comedian Mark Normand also reacted to the news story on X, and in a since-deleted remark commented, "Elon Musk just became a trillionaire!"

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Trump admin targets federal funding to Planned Parenthood over 'possible violations' of law, executive orders



Planned Parenthood admittedly did everything in its "power to keep Donald Trump from the White House" in the lead-up to the 2024 election. Having failed miserably, the organization — not only the single largest provider of abortions nationwide but also a top provider of sex-change services — may now lose some of its federal funding.

Last week, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that the agency was considering an immediate freeze of $27.5 million in grants to Planned Parenthood. On Monday, the abortion conglomerate announced that nine of its affiliates received notice of the Trump administration's plans to withhold Title X funding effective April 1.

Title X, the national family-planning program funded through the HHS Office of Population Affairs, is intended to support "a broad range of services related to achieving pregnancy, preventing pregnancy, and assisting women, men, and couples with achieving their desired number and spacing of children."

Roughly $286 million was awarded in fiscal year 2024 through the program, with many millions of taxpayer dollars going to regional Planned Parenthood outfits.

Over three-quarters of Planned Parenthood affiliates — around 300 facilities — presently receive funds through the Title X program. They have demonstrated, however, that they can go without federal funds.

Planned Parenthood pulled out of the program during the first Trump administration because it refused to comply with the administration's requirement that Title X-funded clinics refrain from referring women for abortions.

Planned Parenthood 'overtly encourages illegal aliens to receive care.'

Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson stated at the time of the withdrawal, "We refuse to let the Trump administration bully us into withholding abortion information from our patients."

The Washington Post noted that the abortion conglomerate latched back on to the taxpayer-funded program in 2021 after the Biden administration let recipients once again refer women for abortions.

Politico reported that the notices sent to the Planned Parenthood affiliates on Monday indicated their funding was being "temporarily withheld" on account of "possible violations" of federal civil rights law and Trump's executive orders, including his prohibitions on promoting DEI and "taxpayer subsidization of open borders."

In the notices, Amy Margolis, deputy director of the Office of Population Affairs, reportedly cited race-based commitments and comments on the clinics' websites and in their public documents as evidence of their noncompliance, suggesting the writings "paint a picture of Planned Parenthood that suggests it is engaged, across its affiliates, in widespread practices across hiring, operations, and patient treatment that unavoidably employ race in a negative manner."

Margolis also indicated that the abortion outfits' funding is being withheld because Planned Parenthood "overtly encourages illegal aliens to receive care."

It is unclear whether the clinics' active promotion of abortion may also constitute noncompliance, given Trump's executive order prohibiting "the use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion."

The Washington Post indicated that the White House did not respond to a request for comment.

'Stop funding abortion and "gender transition" industries that gravely violate human dignity.'

While the Title X family planning program was explicitly written to exclude abortion, the Charlotte Lozier Institute indicated that "today, Planned Parenthood and other abortion centers use these funds to support their abortion businesses."

HHS has reportedly given Planned Parenthood 10 days to fall in line with Trump's executive orders.

HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon told Politico that the department has temporarily withheld payments from 16 Title X providers "to ensure these entities are in full compliance with Federal law and applicable grant terms, and to ensure responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars."

"President Trump and Elon Musk are pushing their dangerous political agenda, stripping health care access from people nationwide, and not giving a second thought to the devastation they will cause," McGill Johnson said in a statement. "Planned Parenthood Action Fund will fight to get this funding restored and to keep politicians out of health care."

Prior to the clinics learning that they might soon lose some of their federal funding, over 150 groups united under an initiative called Defund Planned Parenthood urged Congress to cut Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood through the budget reconciliation process, reported the Daily Signal.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops similarly implored House and Senate lawmakers to defund Planned Parenthood in a March 27 letter.

"We call upon you to stop funding abortion and 'gender transition' industries that gravely violate human dignity," wrote Bishops Robert Barron and Daniel Thomas. "Instead, we urge you to prioritize the needs of struggling families so they can flourish."

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