You've got to be in it to win it -- the chance at a free round of IVF, that is. The winner of one lottery in Britain could take home the grand prize of a round of IVF treatments at one of the nation's top fertility clinics. If IVF isn't suitable for the "winner," they could be offered donor eggs, reproductive surgery or surrogate birth. The lottery, which is being run by a charity, not the government, has received scathing attacks from the medical community, which feels fertility treatments shouldn't be used as a prize. The lottery's organizer, who suffered from infertility herself, disagrees and believes it gives infertile couples hope for financing the expensive treatment.
What do breast-feeding and police work have in common? Not much if you're a cop in Washington, D.C. One lactating police officer said she shouldn't be placed on full duty because she was unable to wear a bullet-proof vest, claiming it was painful and could clog her ducts. A police department doctor recommended she be given a light-duty desk job but her supervisors disagreed and said she could either take sick leave (which she'd used up during her maternity leave) or unpaid leave. She is now on unpaid leave and applying for short-term disability.
No shots, no service. Some pediatricians, frustrated by parents' refusals to vaccinate their children, are now telling patients to vaccinate or vacate. With the number of parents refusing to inoculate their kids growing, the medical community is becoming increasingly concerned about the widespread effects a partially unvaccinated populace could have. One doctor, who now refuses to treat unvaccinated patients, said that they had to do so to protect all of their patients, because newborns, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems (such as kids battling cancer) would risk infection in the office's waiting room.
Should little black girls play with little white dolls? One African-American mom whose daughter was given a Caucasian doll as a gift doesn't think so. The gift was given by an African-American woman, which had the mother wondering why a black woman would ever buy a black girl a white doll. The mom, who is concerned that the color of dolls' skin convey messages of what is beautiful, didn't want her daughter playing with white dolls or watching Disney princess movies which might make her daughter feel that black isn't beautiful. However, some are saying that the mom would be better off giving her daughter dolls in a kaleidoscope of colors to help teach her daughter acceptance and a real appreciation of diversity.
In the "please say it ain't so" category, jailhouse letters from Casey Anthony allegedly reveal a desire to have another baby, or maybe to adopt a child.
Dana Macario is a TODAY Moms contributor and Seattle mom to two sleep-depriving toddlers. She is currently developing an alarm clock that will start an IV coffee drip 10 minutes prior to wake-up time. Once properly caffeinated, she also blogs at www.18years2life.com.