Good morning! Have a great start of your week. Be well and be safe …

The post Thought for the Day…04/13/26 appeared first on Good News!.

Listen to “Trisomy 18, Edwards Syndrome Takes the Life or Baby Marita – Her Mom creates Marita Brings Life Foundation thin 2 ours with a max. Life…” on Spreaker.

Marita at 2 days old. We were told she was going to die within 2 ours with a max. Life expectancy of 2 days This was her at 2 days old, alive and kicking.

Where Do We Grieve?
when it is our safe place
that died.
How do we tell lungs
to breathe through the pain
when they’re mourning
the air itself. –
Bereaved mum, anonymous
Abstract
This research aims at examining parents’ healthcare experiences for children with Trisomy 13
and 18 across three countries in the EU and the US, with emphasis on cultural, social and
medical perspectives on their interaction with healthcare professionals. The study using
semi-structured interviews explores how parents and children are wronged systematically;
ways in which there can be a clear lack of communication, ethical dilemmas, and ways in
which children with Trisomy 13 and 18 are stereotyped regarding the treatment that they are
given. Going further into the principal outcomes, it is worth to note that the parents are
essential in demanding their childrens’ care, as they actively dispute the medical
professionals and fight for their children’s rights, if the latter face withdrawal of care, or even
active unconsented palliative care. Additionally, the research addresses how parents attempt
to strategize against these situations by forming parent support groups, both formally and
informally, that allow better access to better healthcare facilities. Moreover, there are the
further findings of the research – the research shows that there exist serious violations of
ethical principles such as the principle of informed consent, the criterion of proportionality
and human rights violations with regards to equal access of medical care for the disabled. The
research shows that there is a need to design and implement better and sensitive health care
practices that respect the views of families with T13/18. For example, it advocates for
increased understanding of profession and parent communication, increased support of family
members and more attention paid to discrimination against children with T13/18 in
healthcare. These findings advance the knowledge in the field of Medical Anthropology,
Disability Studies, and Genetic Counseling that can be useful in the future health care
practices and policies for the families of the children with genetic disorders.
Acknowledgements
This dissertation is dedicated to my daughter, Marita, who was born on July 31, 2018, and sadly passed away
on September 1, 2018. I may never know if she would have survived had she received the care typically afforded
to a child unaffected by a chromosomal anomaly. My daughter was denied even the most basic care, such as
water and food. I extend my deepest gratitude to those parents who have entrusted me with their stories and to
the children who have shared their profound joy and love for life with me. In particular, this dissertation is
especially dedicated to Febe, who tragically passed away, most likely unnecessarily, while I was in the process
of writing this dissertation. I also wish to thank everyone who supported me in various ways. Special thanks go
to Professor Jonathan Gross at DePaul University, Chicago, who never stopped believing in my work.
Preface
It’s January 25, 2018. I’m about to walk the dog, feeling good, when the phone rings and my obstetrician speaks
in an aggressive tone: “You haven’t looked up your NIPT (Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing) results!” I calmly
respond, “Yes, indeed,…” I try to explain that I decided not to look them up. Upon returning home, I felt I had
been somewhat pressured into this. She had said, “It’s good to test because you and your husband (“Who says I
am married?”, I remember thinking.), will be able to provide better care for your child in case it has a genetic
disorder like Down syndrome. You’re 38 years old, don’t you think it’s a good idea?” I had answered, “If this
test is meant to help me get better care for my baby… if I can use it to inform myself, and if it’s not going to be
used against me or my child or my family…I would like to do it.” Thus we proceeded.
“But will my child get better care?” I later wondered. “Why should I do a genetic test if any child is more than
welcome? Wasn’t I causing myself a lot of worries and difficulties by knowing, instead of enjoying the bliss of
not knowing? What would this knowledge and the accompanying stress do to my child?” The obstetrician told
me she wouldn’t look up the results, and I had trusted her. “It’s your own responsibility; I won’t do it for you,”
she said in a snarky tone, while handing me a post-it with a login and password. Today she calls me, seemingly
enraged, and I don’t get a chance to stop her. She interrupts me and continues shouting statistical facts through
the phone.
“Your child has a 43% chance of Edwards syndrome. It’s similar to Down syndrome but much worse. It comes
with curved legs and arms, rock-bottom feet,… It will never be able to walk or speak. It’s the worst possible
disability there is. When are you coming in?”
I sit down on the puppy’s crate. He keeps pulling at his leash, eager to go out, and doesn’t pay attention to my
phone conversation. Nature calls. I breathe deeply, trying to buy some time, and respond, “Why should I exactly
come in?” I notice a hint of irony in my voice—a tone I would later recognise in other parents’ voices, much
later, after my daughter had passed away and I finally connected with them.
The obstetrician sighs and exclaims, “YOU SHOULD COME IN FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT. THERE IS
NO TIME TO LOSE,” then continues, “You were already late,” this time in an accusatory tone. (“Being
pregnant is not being sick,” I remember thinking to myself. I was barely two months pregnant when I had
contacted her.) “Which appointment?” I ask. (“A 43% chance of Edwards syndrome?” What on earth does that
mean? “Is the baby going to be half disabled?”, I remember thinking while drifting away into cynicism.
Thoughts are racing through my head at this point.) Before I have a chance to ask for further clarifications, she
rambles on:
“…IN BELGIUM WE ABORT SUCH CHILDREN. YOU SHOULD COME IN FOR YOUR
APPOINTMENT!!”
I now understand what “your appointment” means when she explains her cultural understanding of the matter.
This was also my first encounter with a typical discursive practice around NIPT, abortion, and having a child
with a trisomy disorder. “Coming in for your appointment” clearly meant “in Belgium we abort such children”,
the “appointment” was the “abortion appointment,” and “aborting such children”, apparently a normal procedure
here.
Calmly and politely, I clarify my position: “Whether to abort my child or not is still a decision to be made by me
and me alone, in whichever country I live.” I am not necessarily pro-life, nor am I pro-abortion. However, I am a
feminist, and nobody decides over my body and the little foetus growing inside me but me.
My experience also has a personal component. Following the standard DSM definition, I could be seen as
disabled (cf. I am diagnosed on the autism spectrum). Yet, I strongly align with how autistic sociologist Judy
Singer described our neurological difference: we’re neurodivergent, not disabled. Strictly speaking, we’re not
even necessarily autistic in the negative sense of the word. I have other qualities, other capabilities. I know my
value, and I have equal rights. My future disabled child has equal rights too.
“My dog needs a walk. I’ll call you back later. Thank you so much for your call,” I manage to politely utter. As I
put down the phone, I feel an incredible sense of unsafety in and around my body. I tremble as I walk into the
woods behind the house. Walking through the forest, I listen to the sounds around me, while the dog happily
runs about. There seem to be no problems here… until I lose sight of him and find him standing on the ice of the
little lake. He’s looking at me with terrified eyes. I’m terrified too. What have I gotten myself into? We’re both
on thin ice… and I’ve made a huge mistake consenting with this NIPT.
While helping the dog out of his precarious situation, I somehow come to terms with what just happened. The
doctor, whom I had confided in, had literally pulled the rug out from under me. Weren’t these results supposed
to be used to “improve and provide better healthcare for my child in case she would have a genetic disorder?” I
wasn’t even thinking about how she had looked up my results while saying she wouldn’t. It didn’t sit well with
me that now, all of a sudden, “better healthcare” was being translated into a—supposedly, if I could believe
her—national procedure to abort “such children.” How trustworthy was this NIPT actually? I wanted to run, as
far away as I could. This wasn’t really happening… THIS WAS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME, TO
US… At that moment, I even thought I could escape from it.
I walked, almost ran back to the house. I felt so small, so vulnerable, so full of adrenaline… I’m back at the
house and call the hospital: “I am calling in reference to my earlier conversation with Dr. X, you might know
about it?” “Yes”, mumbles the nurse. “I am calling to say I am withdrawing consent in sharing my and my
daughter’s medical files with any other hospital, including my GP.” The nurse responded: “This is not how
things work over here, maybe it’s different in the Netherlands.” (I have a Dutch accent.) “Yes this is how things
work over here,” I respond firmly, “I live here. I was born and raised here and I am aware of my rights. I do have
a right to medical confidentiality as any other person does. This right applies to my and my child’s medical files.
Also in Belgium. So again, I am asking you to clearly include in my medical files and those of my child, that
there is no consent to share them with anyone. Also not my GP. Please can you make sure to have a copy
available? I’d like to pick it up as soon as possible. I’ll drop by in 30 minutes. If it’s not ready, I’ll wait.”
An hour later, files in hand, I find myself buying a newspaper in the city centre. I need something to ground
myself in reality. But while reading the newspaper, I can’t stop thinking: “This is not my world anymore.
Nothing in this newspaper relates to me. I am here, you are all there. I’m in a different world. I’m falling into an
abyss that you all don’t know about. What is happening to me…?” Then the phone rings. My GP: “I just had a
call and heard you picked up your files from the hospital?” “There is no consent to share my files.” At this point
I feel I am getting angry. My patience is gone. “Yes, I know,” she rambles on, but I am barely able to receive
what she says, and feel myself sinking away, deeper and deeper, until I hear: “But don’t you think that if the
doctor advises you to abort, it would be wise to listen to her? Don’t you think the doctor knows better?”
That afternoon, I contact my former GP in the Netherlands and politely ask for a referral to the nearest Dutch
hospital. I am Dutch, live on the Dutch-Belgian border, and am insured in both countries (a luxury not everyone
has). I firmly believe that crossing the border, I would find a welcoming and nurturing environment—a place
where my possibly disabled child would be treated as an equal citizen. If I had only known.
Introduction
This dissertation explores the experiences of families of children with Trisomy 13 and 18
(T13/18), two severe genetic disorders, within the healthcare systems of three countries in the
European Union (Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany), as compared to experiences of
parents in the American healthcare system. The research investigates the extent to which the
differing views of parents and physicians regarding the care of children with these genetic
disorders influences parents’ experiences when they encounter negative eugenics.
Additionally, the study seeks to identify the culturally specific strategies that families employ
in response to these challenges. The study will compare parental experiences in the healthcare
systems of the US, characterised by a typical litigiousness and overwhelming fear of being
sued for medical malpractice, and these three countries in the EU, in order to understand how
modern-day eugenics is constituted in both the prenatal and postnatal context in these
Western societies.
A key aspect in the disability debate is the evaluation of the role of medicine in
defining disability in Western societies. As Foucault (1976, p. 252) argues, in biopolitical
states, ‘medicine becomes a political intervention-technique with specific power-effects.
Medicine is a form of power-knowledge that can be applied to both the body and the
population’. Similarly, Oliver (1990, Ch. 3) contends that the category of ‘disability’ is
socially constructed and fluid, able to resolve systemic contradictions within a given society.
Moreover, once certain groups are classified within this category, it becomes difficult, if not
impossible, for them to be excluded, creating a ‘distributive dilemma’ for states that can be
addressed in different ways depending on their mode of production. Oliver (1990, Ch. 3)
suggests that distribution based on needs may indicate the emergence of a socialist system,
while distribution based on costs may reflect a capitalist mode of production.
As Foucault argues, in its most extreme forms this ‘distributive dilemma’ manifests in
biopolitical societies in forms of ‘racism’. Foucault (1976, p. 255-259) argues that ‘racism’,
is ‘primarily a way of introducing a break into the domain of life that is under powers’
control: the break between what must live and what must die’. According to him, racism may
be seen as processes of stigmatisation, abandonment, rejection, expulsion and discrimination,
on the one hand. Or, on the other hand, as processes of killing or indirect killing…

The post Trisomy 18, Edwards Syndrome Takes the Life or Baby Marita – Her Mom creates Marita Brings Life Foundation thin 2 ours with a max. Life expectancy of 2 days This was her at 2 days old, alive and kicking. appeared first on Good News!.

Tirlok Malik making everyone join in to laugh in Times Square International Day of Peace Concert September 20th, 2026…he will join us again on Earth Day in Times Square on April 22,2026 , be there and laugh…if you want…Mother Earth is not a laughing matter…she’s serious,  LOVE OUR MOTHER…she’s our home…we gather to share who is helping to keep her safe…and to CELEBRATE HER MOTHER EARTH

The post Thought for the Day…01/30/26 appeared first on Good News!.

Happy Halloween,

This GoodNewsLetter is dedicated to Good Samaritans who share in the Halloween tradition. Giving out LOVE, sometimes with Candy, Flowers…. and showing the Spirit of our Wonderful Giving HUMANITY.

ENJOY AND STAY SAFE…

From Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Born and Raised, BELIEVER IN ALL. Paul Sladkus

The post Halloween Super Star on 82nd Street, NY, Hilary Wallace appeared first on Good News!.

Here is our Newsletter on YouTube as of 10/31/25:

https://youtu.be/nCyIwjhAUpo

Here is our Speaker:

https://www.spreaker.com/episode/goodnewsletter-happy-halloween-be-safe-have-fun-think-about-mother-earth-no-pumpkins-food-water-soil-candy-without-her–68364647

Dear Friends and Members:

Paul Sladkus, Founder of Good News Corporation, a 501 C 3 Nonprofit, states, “ It all goes back to Mother Earth and the importance of protecting and living in harmony with her and all those who inhabit her, including the animal and plant kingdoms. We are blessed every day all over the world…let’s work together to make Mother Earth a Kinder, Compassionate, Peaceful, and Loving Home for ALL.” Here is a link to our Good News Corporation, a 501(c)(3), and to Its Founder, Paul Sladkus, and his background. 

Taking Care of

Mother Earth & Peace

takes Courage and Sacrifice

TODAY.

JOIN US.

WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

We share some great content this week, once again from our www.pausetheworldforpeace.org, www.goodnewsplanet.TV, and www.youtube.com/goodnewsbroadcast, from Qatar Hamad International Airport, and the Career Fair for NYC High School Students by Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, District 75, and Manhattan High Schools.

Hamad International Airport,

in Doha, Qatar,

is MORE THAN SUSTAINABLE….

College and Career Fair Hosted

by BP Levine,

District 75 and

Manhattan HS

We want to share our 2025 Press Release for our International Day of Peace Weekend Events. In the release, please take a moment to watch an hour-long edit of a 7-hour LIVE program we are finalizing. It’s not easy, as all 7 Hours were special. Also, here is our latest 2026 Earth and Peace Day Marketing Deck. Should you know of any corporation, foundation, or philanthropist who could benefit from our Earth and Peace Day Events, please let me know. Call Paul 212 647 1212

We are all in this together.

4 Million+ Impressions & Viewers

and LIVE Times Square

Attendees at the

UN International Day of Peace

2025

&

NYC Climate Week Kick-Offs,

September 19, 20, 21

2026 Earth & Water Day

Marketing Benefits 4/22/2026

and Peace Day Weekend

9/18,19, 20, 21

Lastly, keeping our Good News alive is very expensive, and our Humanitarian Peace efforts are totally nonprofit. Please donate and tell others to support us. We are all in this together. You can receive an award for it…Hugg-a-Planets, trip to Montauk Manor, all tax deductible, please go to: https://goodnewsplanet.com/pausetheworld/peace-day-donations/   

Once again, if you care about your money, please tune in to WOR 710 Radio on Sunday at 10:30 AM. Here you can listen and call in to Legal Expert and Elder Care Lawyer, 14 Year NYS Representative and Dr. Phil, ET, Good Morning America…Guest Lawyer, Ann-Margaret Carrozza, ESQ. 

Ann is BRILLIANT, AND YOUR MONEY IS BRILLIANT, AND YOU ARE BRILLIANT IF YOU ARE SMART ENOUGH TO PROTECT IT.

Paul Sladkus is Ann’s Co-Host. Email me paul.sladkus1@gmail.com if you want me to ask her a question, or just call in (800-321-0710) and listen; it might be one of the most important programs in you and your family’s life.

Ann-Margaret Carrozza,

Asset Protection Lawyer,

WOR 710 AM

CALL IN Radio

LIVE Every

Sunday at 1030am

Please share with your community all our Good News.

We are ALL IN THIS TOGETHER FOR PEACE AND MOTHER EARTH.

Please donate here, as we have incurred financial losses on our peace efforts and continue to expand them.   https://goodnewsplanet.com/pausetheworld/peace-day-donations/

For Nonprofit Donations for our Peace and Earth Day Events go to:

https://goodnewsplanet.com/pausetheworld/peace-day-donations/

STAY WELL

LET’S GROW TOGETHER. GOOD NEWS MOTTO: “All we are is what we are with each other.” Zeal 

With Respect. Love and May Peace Prevail on Earth,  For Information Contact: 

Reverend Paul Sladkus, All Faiths and Spiritual,

Founder, Good News Corporation 501 C 3 212 647 1212 paul.sladkus1@gmail.com  and our Good News and Peace Worldwide Team who make our Peace Day 9/21 happen.

www.pausetheworldforpeace.org,www.goodnewsplanet.TV, www.youtube.com/goodnewsbroadcast

Social Networks: www.Facebook.com/PaulSladkus, LinkedIn Paul Sladkus, Twitter/X Good News to Go, Instagram PausetheWorld

LET’S GROW TOGETHER. GOOD NEWS MOTTO: ALL WE ARE IS WHAT WE ARE WITH EACH OTHER. ZEAL

For more information contact: 

Reverend Paul Sladkus, All Faiths and Spiritual 212 647 1212

New York, NY, Montauk, NY

PS – SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR FRIENDS AND MEMBERS: Looking for a vacation rental, SHORT TERM, in Montauk, this year and or entire summer in 2026, here is our listing https://pausetheworldforpeace.org/2025/04/16/49000-2br-one-of-a-kind-summer-rental-opportunty-historic-montauk-manor-montauk/  call me. Paul 917 687 1790

The post GoodNewsLetter: Happy Halloween, Be Safe & Have Fun, & Think About MOTHER EARTH — No Pumpkins/Food/Water/Soil/Candy! WITHOUT HER… appeared first on Good News!.

Social media is flooded with advertisements for popular obesity medications. But how do adults with obesity looking to lose weight avoid online scams selling knockoff versions that may not be safe and effective?

With the FDA’s recent decision to prohibit mass compounding of some obesity medications, there may be even more confusion about consumers’ options.

Here now to talk about what it means for patients and solutions to access authentic medicines are Dr. Clare Lee and Rhonda Pacheco from Eli Lilly and Company.

#clarelee #rhondapacheco #obesitymedication #weightloss #fda

The post BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS TO SAFE AND AUTHENTIC OBESITY MEDICATIONS appeared first on Good News!.

The post Thought of the Day…5/01/24 appeared first on Good News!.

to: https://goodnewsplanet.com/pausetheworld/peace-day-donations/

Also here is our latest Sizzle Reel of our 2023 International Day of Peace Solar Concert in Times Square with all participants. We thank them all for donating their time, energy, and love for Peace & Mother Earth.

https://pausetheworldforpeace.org/2023/11/27/pause-the-world-for-peace-2023-sizzle-reel/

Also here are the links to the entire 6-Hour Broadcast, broken down into 3 Parts Approximately 2-Hours each. Great People Doing Great Work for PEACE. 

https://pausetheworldforpeace.org/2023/11/02/part-1-pause-the-world-for-peace-2023/

https://pausetheworldforpeace.org/2023/11/02/part-2-pause-the-world-for-love-2023/

https://pausetheworldforpeace.org/2023/11/09/part-3-pause-the-world-for-hope-2023/

Thank You. Stay Safe & Healthy in Peace, Love & HOPE,

Paul Sladkus & Pause the World for Peace and Good News Corporation Teams, nonprofit, 501 C 3, est. 2002.

Good News Corporation, a nonprofit, www.pausetheworldforpeace.org

212 647 1212, C – 917 687 1790

New York & Montauk, New York

LET’S GROW TOGETHER. GOOD NEWS MOTTO: ALL WE ARE IS WHAT WE ARE WITH EACH OTHER. ZEAL

For more information contact: 

Reverend Paul Sladkus, All Faiths and Spiritual 212 647 1212

New York, NY, Montauk, NY

PS – SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR FRIENDS AND MEMBERS: Looking for a vacation rental, SHORT TERM, in Montauk, here is our listing https://goodnewsplanet.com/montauk-manor-rental-suite-403-paul-sladkus/ call me. Paul 917 687 1790

#pausetheworldforpeace #peace #love #hope #passion #donating #firstsolar #timessquare

The post GoodNewsLetter: Giving Tuesday 11/28/23, Pause The World for Peace, lost money, can you help? appeared first on Good News!.

I hope this email finds you well. Thank you again for attending the “National Faith Leaders Response To Mass Killings” meeting yesterday. If you were unable to attend or missed the meeting, please CLICK HERE to watch a replay on YouTube. To keep up with the latest information from Clergy For Safe Cities, you can also follow us on Twitter.

If you are in the New York area, please join us on Monday, June 6th, 2022 at 6:30 PM in Alliance Tabernacle (formerly Clarendon Road Church) as faith leaders across the nation join their collective voices to reflect and give consideration to the need to end gun violence and stop the hate. Please see the flyer below for more information.

#faithleaders #masskillings #youtube #clergyforsafecities #twitter #june6th #june6 #alliancetabernacle #clarendonroadchurch #collectivevoices #endgunviolence #stopthehate

The post “National Faith Leaders Response To Mass Killings” appeared first on Good News!.

Americans may not realize it but if they are tossing their prescription medicines in the household trash or flushing them down the toilet, they are actually adding to the nation’s pollution problem and potentially harming our critical natural resources.

After being flushed or poured down the drain, many medications pass through sewer and septic systems. Because these systems can’t always treat or remove all the medications, they may end up in streams, lakes, and groundwater. This can cause adverse effects in fish and other aquatic wildlife as well as unintentional human exposure to chemicals.

In addition to harming our environment, disposing of medication in the trash, makes it easier for drugs to fall into the wrong hands and continue the cycle of misuse.

A recent survey showed that Americans often hold on to their unused prescriptions for future use, for fear of their illness returning or because they don’t know how to get rid of them. In fact, 47% of Americans currently have 1-3 bottles of unused prescriptions in their medicine cabinet followed by 8% with 4-6 bottles, 2% with more than 10 bottles and 2% with 7-10 bottles.

With no knowledge of safe disposal practices, one in four (25%) Americans admit to flushing leftover/unused prescription drugs down the drain, and another 25% toss unused prescriptions in the trash.

But you can be part of the solution to this problem. There’s a helpful strategy easily available that can help: drug deactivation and disposal pouches. They’re a safe, effective choice that can be used to destroy and properly dispose of unused, unwanted, and expired medications. With the simple addition of tap water, any medications placed in a pouch are rendered harmless by its patented activated carbon technology. Then, the plant-based pouch is completely safe to dispose of in normal household trash, preventing contamination of landfills and water systems.

Nancy Devine, Verde Environmental Technologies Inc. Chief Operating Officer as she outlines what you can do to be greener at home beginning this Earth Day. She’ll also provide details on how to keep your medications from polluting the environment by using safe deactivation and disposal methods.

Interview is courtesy: Verde Environmental Technologies www.deterrasystem.com

#deterrasystem #nancydevine #pollutionproblems #protecttheenvironment #americans #medicines #trash #toilet #meds #prescriptions #waste #medication #verdeenvironmentaltechnologies #safe

The post ***A Day Showing Support for Protecting the Environment*** appeared first on Good News!.