BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM British lawmakers have voted to decriminalize abortion, ending the threat of prosecution for women who terminate pregnancies outside legal parameters. The amendment to the government’s crime and policing bill represents the most significant change to reproductive rights in England and Wales in nearly six decades. Passed with 379 votes in favor and 137 against, the amendment was brought forward by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi. While the existing legal framework for abortion, which includes gestational limits and the requirement for two doctors’ approval, remains intact, this vote ensures that women will no longer face criminal charges for ending pregnancies outside those rules. Doctors who provide abortions outside the current legal framework can still face legal consequences. However, women who, for example, take abortion pills after the legal time limit or obtain them without a prescription, will no longer risk arrest or a potential life sentence. Antoniazzi told fellow MPs that Parliament had a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to stop the criminalisation of women for personal health decisions. “There is a moral imperative here,” she said, referring to vulnerable women who have been “dragged from hospital bed to police on suspicion of ending their own pregnancies.” A troubling rise in prosecutions The vote follows a troubling increase in recent prosecutions. In 2022, a judge at Oxford Crown Court expressed disbelief over a case involving a 25-year-old woman who was reported to police after clinicians found abortion pills in her system, despite the fact her baby had survived. Calling the prosecution “sad and tragic,” the judge described the trial as a “waste of court time” that lacked any public interest. The following year, Carla Foster received a 28-month prison sentence for using pills to end a pregnancy estimated to be between 32 and 34 weeks. The medication had been provided after a remote consultation during the COVID-19 lockdown. Her sentence was later reduced and suspended. In the Court of Appeal, Dame Victoria Sharp said it was “a case that calls for compassion, not punishment.” Bethany Cox, from Teesside, faced a three-year investigation after being questioned while “in the throes of grief,” according to her lawyer, Nicholas Lumley KC. She was ultimately acquitted in 2024 after prosecutors offered no evidence. “She has suffered so extensively over this prosecution and investigation,” Lumley said, “all the while grieving what took place.” And just last month, Nicola Packer was found not guilty of taking abortion pills beyond the legal limit after a nearly five-year legal ordeal. “To waste five years of my life that I’m never going to get back,” she said, “I don’t know how anybody could justify that—to drag out the trauma continuously.” She added, “It has been the worst four and a half years of my life.” Antoniazzi also referenced the case of a woman named Laura, who was jailed for two years after being coerced by an abusive partner into taking abortion pills while the partner faced no legal consequences. “This is urgent,” she said. “We know multiple women are still in the system, awaiting a decision. They cannot afford to wait.” Support from medical leaders and advocates The vote was welcomed by a broad coalition of medical bodies and advocacy groups, including the British Medical Association, Women’s Aid, and the Fawcett Society. Six medical colleges had called on MPs to act swiftly. Professor Ranee Thakar, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, called the result “a victory for women and for their essential reproductive rights.” Louise McCudden, UK head of external affairs at MSI Reproductive Choices, said the decision sends “a powerful message that our lawmakers are standing up for women” at a time when reproductive rights are under attack globally. “Most notably in the United States,” she added, “we’re seeing rollbacks on reproductive rights. This crucial milestone… matters.” Heidi Stewart, CEO of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, called the vote “a landmark moment for women’s rights in this country and the most significant change to our abortion law since the 1967 Abortion Act.” She thanked those who had campaigned, singling out women like Packer who “have spoken out about their traumatic experiences in the hope of achieving the change parliament has delivered today.” Political context and what comes next While Labour leader Keir Starmer was not in the chamber for the vote, he made clear that he would have supported the amendment. “It is a conscience issue,” he said while attending the G7 summit in Canada. “But my longstanding in-principle position is that women have the right to a safe and legal abortion.” A competing decriminalisation amendment tabled by fellow Labour MP Stella Creasy was not voted on, and a separate proposal from Conservative MP Caroline Johnson aimed at limiting telemedicine abortion access was rejected. Although the amendment marks a seismic shift, it does not immediately become law. The broader crime and policing bill must still pass through both the House of Commons and the House of Lords before receiving royal assent. However, with a strong parliamentary majority, its final approval is widely expected. As Antoniazzi and her allies celebrated the vote, the sentiment was clear: this long-overdue reform signals a new chapter for reproductive justice in the UK. And for the many women whose lives were disrupted by outdated laws, it offers a measure of relief and long-awaited recognition.The post MPs vote to decriminalize abortion in England and Wales in historic victory for women’s rights first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Every person breathes, but no two people do it quite the same. In a new study that blurs the line between biology and biometric tech, scientists have found that breathing patterns are remarkably unique; so much so that they can be used to identify individuals with 96.8 percent accuracy. The research, published in Current Biology, suggests that the way we inhale and exhale may be just as distinctive as our fingerprints or voice, and potentially even more reliable under certain conditions. “I thought it would be really hard to identify someone because everyone is doing different things, like running, studying, or resting,” said Timna Soroka, a lead author from the Weizmann Institute of Science. “But it turns out their breathing patterns were remarkably distinct.” The science of sniffing you out To investigate this phenomenon, scientists at the Weizmann Institute developed a lightweight wearable device that tracks nasal airflow over a full 24-hour period. Small tubes positioned under the nostrils measured how participants, 100 healthy young adults with no sleep disorders or nasal surgeries, breathed during sleep, work, and everything in between. Participants used a mobile app to log their daily activities and complete questionnaires related to mood and cognition. Researchers then extracted 24 distinct parameters from the breathing data, such as inhalation and exhalation patterns, and used machine learning algorithms to distinguish individuals. They didn’t stop there. To test whether these patterns held over time, researchers re-measured 42 of the original participants months or even years later. Despite lifestyle changes or differing activities, their respiratory patterns remained stable, suggesting that each person has a lasting, identifiable “breathprint.” Breathing and the brain What makes this discovery even more intriguing is its potential link to mental health. The researchers found that breathing traits also aligned with indicators of anxiety and depression. For instance, participants who scored higher on anxiety measures exhibited shorter inhale durations and more frequent pauses in their breathing during sleep. “We intuitively assume that how depressed or anxious you are changes the way you breathe,” said senior author Noam Sobel. “But it might be the other way around. Perhaps the way you breathe makes you anxious or depressed. If that’s true, we might be able to change the way you breathe to change those conditions.” While these correlations are still early-stage, they open the door to potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Could targeted breath training help regulate mood disorders? The idea is gaining scientific traction. Not quite ready for primetime Although the study’s implications are exciting, the current device still has practical limitations. The nasal tubes, while lightweight, occasionally slipped out during sleep, limiting the comfort and reliability of overnight data. Additionally, the study did not account for mouth breathing, which may introduce variables not yet measured. Still, the researchers are already developing more user-friendly versions of the device with an eye toward everyday applications, from personal health monitoring to secure identity verification. With each breath, we may be revealing far more than we think. And in the near future, your inhale-exhale rhythm could be just as identifying as your fingerprint. Source study: Current Biology— Humans have nasal respiratory fingerprintsThe post Could your breath reveal who you are—and how you feel? Researchers say yes first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

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Read the original post "Easy Egg Bites Master Recipe" on A Modern Homestead. If you're looking for an easy make-ahead breakfast that’s low carb, high in protein, and full of flavor, these Easy Egg Bites are a perfect fit. We add spinach, feta cheese, and bacon - but you can customize this master recipe however you would like! We love easy recipes around here, whether it's a super... Read More The post "Easy Egg Bites Master Recipe" appeared first on A Modern Homestead.

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A chemist explains.

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