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Tory MEPs condemned for voting against Gay and Religious Rights
LABOUR MEPs
are calling for comprehensive legislation to prevent any
discrimination on grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion
or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.
Labour Euro MPs have led the calls for new EU equal rights
legislation and condemned Conservatives for supporting a 'hierarchy
of discrimination' in a European Parliament vote, as the
internal battle rages in the European Commission seeking to restrict
their proposal to disability alone in their decision due on the 25
June 2008.
Local Labour Euro MP and Arlene McCarthy said:- “Labour MEPs
have always supported legislation to end discrimination in the
supply of goods and services on the grounds of disability, religion
or belief, age and sexual orientation.
I was one of the Parliament’s draftspersons back in 2002 on a law
banning employment discrimination on the basis of religion or
belief, age, disability or sexual orientation.
To now rank these forms of
discrimination in order of importance would be a backwards step.
Age discrimination and discrimination on the grounds of religion or
belief should not be excluded or treated as inferior forms of
discrimination in the false hierarchy imposed by the European
Commission.
It is bitterly disappointing that Conservative MEPs have failed time
and time again to support anti-discrimination legislation.
Even
worse still just a few weeks ago they proudly announced that they
had stood up for companies that wished to discriminate in the supply
of goods and services.”
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80,000 people with diabetes putting their lives at risk by not
taking tablets
AROUND 80,000
people with Type 2 diabetes in the North West are risking long-term
health complications such as heart disease, blindness and kidney
failure because they are failing to take their prescribed
medication, warns Diabetes UK.
In the North West, around half of the 238,000 people with Type 2
diabetes treat their condition with tablets. The leading health
charity is calling for improved patient education and better
communication between healthcare professionals and people with
diabetes to improve the current situation where 2 in 3 people who
should treat their diabetes with tablets (80,000) are not taking
them.
Previous research has shown that many people with diabetes do not
take their tablets because they do not understand what they are for
and what the long term health benefits are, but feel stupid asking
their doctor or nurse. In addition, many people with diabetes take a
plethora of tablets, and research has also shown that people who are
prescribed many tablets struggle more than those who take 1.
Julie Byron, Diabetes UK North West Regional Manager, said:-
“It is a tragedy that such a high proportion of people are not
taking their prescribed medication. Many people struggle to realise
the importance of taking their medicines, especially if the
consequences are not immediately apparent despite the fact that
damage caused is irreparable. Effectively controlling Type 2
diabetes can reduce the risk of heart disease by 56%, and eye
disease and kidney disease by 33%.
Diabetes UK is currently working with healthcare professionals and
diabetes communities to encourage and support people with diabetes
to ask questions and be more involved in their healthcare through
care planning. People with diabetes who have a good knowledge of
their treatment options are better equipped to make informed
decisions about medicines and other ways of managing their
diabetes.” |
