Plan B Forum

As the third most common cancer type in the U.S., raising awareness of screening programmes is undoubtedly important.

But Washington residents were turned off by a series of billboards for colon cancer, featuring a person with a pained expression and the line: 'What's up your butt?'

Now a health board has reversed its decision and voted against endorsing the controversial campaign.



The butt billboards were earlier displayed in Yakima to raise colorectal cancer awareness and encourage people to get screened for the disease.

The vote by the Benton Franklin Health District in Kennewick, was in response to complaints the ads were in poor taste.

'We got several complaints,' Benton County commissioner, Shon Small, told the Tri-City Herald. 'We're going to do what the taxpayers wanted.'

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. It is expected to cause around 49,380 deaths this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 20, and the disease is more common in men than in women.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1NsNSLan3

Bowel cancer screening program


Service Description

Bowel cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in Australia and around 80 Australians die each week from the disease. Research shows that the risk of developing bowel cancer rises significantly from the age of 50. Bowel cancer can be treated successfully if detected in its early stages, but currently fewer than 40 per cent of bowel cancers are detected early.
The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (the Program) offers testing to people turning 50 years of age between January 2008 and December 2010 and those turning 55 or 65 years of age between July 2008 and December 2010, who hold a Medicare card or a DVA gold card.


Who can use this service?


People who are within the eligible population will be invited to take part in the program.
The eligible population is Australians turning 50 years of age between January 2008 and December 2010 and those turning 55 or 65 between July 2008 and December 2010, who hold a Medicare card or DVA gold card.

If you are eligible, a pre-invitation letter followed by an invitation package, including an Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) kit, will be sent by mail between July 2008 and December 2010. A simple FOBT test is then completed in the privacy of your own home and mailed to a pathology laboratory for analysis. There is no cost involved in completing the FOBT. These screening tests are simple to use and highly effective.
Participants with a positive FOBT result will be advised to discuss the result with their doctor, who will generally refer them for further investigations, usually a colonoscopy.

What if i need more information?


Use the Click to access button below for further information about participating in the program; or call the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program Information Line on 1800 118 868.

http://australia.gov.au/service/bowel-c ... ng-program

Gob wrote: I got the pack in the post soon after my fiftieth, couldn't use it due to my Chalfonts.

HIV campaigners are outraged a safe sex promotion featuring a fully clothed, hugging gay couple has been pulled from Queensland bus shelters.

The Queensland Association for Healthy Communities launched its "Rip and Roll" advertisements a week ago and yesterday learned they were being scrapped after about 30 complaints.

The adverts feature a black and white image of a gay couple embracing, holding an unopened red condom packet.



It includes the website address and hotline for Healthy Communities, which has been receiving state government funding for sexual health promotion since 1988.

Adshel, the company that provides advertising for Brisbane's bus shelters; Goa Billboards; and the Advertising Standards Bureau were targeted in an orchestrated campaign by the Australian Christian Lobby.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensl ... z1Ny9rMlaf

@meric@nwom@n wrote: It's not so bad the prep just sucks a bit.

Long Run wrote:

@meric@nwom@n wrote: It's not so bad the prep just sucks a bit.

Isn't it the opposite of sucks?

An outdoor advertising company has reversed its controversial decision to pull down safe-sex awareness signs featuring a hugging, gay couple.

Adshel, which copped widespread criticism over the removal of the signs from Brisbane bus shelters, announced this afternoon the signs would be reinstated after accepting complaints had been “orchestrated” by the Australian Christian Lobby.

“None of the complaints indicated any liaison with the ACL, so Adshel was made to believe that they originated from individual members of the public.”

Adshel chief executive Steve McCarthy said it was now clear that Adshel had been the target of a co-ordinated ACL campaign against the “Rip and Roll” advertisements designed by the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities.

“This has led us to review our decision to remove the campaign and we will therefore reinstate the campaign with immediate effect,” he said.

ACL Queensland director Wendy Francis, who earlier said there had been a co-ordinated attempt to have the ads removed, condemned the decision to reinstate the ads.

Ms Francis denied she led an orchestrated ACL campaign against the billboards, saying she had personally raised concern about the ads on her Facebook page promoting G-rated outdoor advertising and contacted her friends about the issue.

She blasted the decision to reinstate the ads as a “loss for our children” but said it reflected people power.

"I really think people power is what is winning in this particular case and it’s who’s got the most people complaining about it,” she told this website.

“I think people would be supportive of the message it [the advertisement] is promoting but I don’t think ... people want safe-sex messaging placed on bus shelters where schoolchildren wait for the bus.

“The message is OK, the placement of the message is not OK.”

Ms Francis was last year forced to apologise publicly after a Tweet likening gay marriage to legalising child abuse. Then a Family First candidate for the Senate, she claimed the tweet was sent from her office, but not by her.

Earlier today, about 30 people attended a protest, organised on Twitter and Facebook in a matter of hours, to condemn the company’s decision to pull down posters from the Rip and Roll anti-HIV campaign.



Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensl ... z1O4V25v2z

oldr_n_wsr wrote:Next on my agenda is the colonoscopy. Oh joy. After that the wife wants me to get my hearing checked.