EDITORIAL – Editorials in Brief

Dissent in Zimbabwe – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s long-ruling party lost its majority… Dissent in Zimbabwe – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s long-ruling party lost its majority control of the parliament yesterday. The opposition parties, both called the Movement for Democratic Change, have also claimed victory in the presidential race, but the country’s state-controlled newspaper is predicting a runoff between the candidates, according to an Associated Press report. Mugabe has not publicly commented on the results of Saturday’s elections and has been accused of rigging past elections in his favor, by means of violence, fraud and intimidation.

If Mugabe, who has served as the autocratic leader of the struggling African nation for 28 years, did, in fact, lose the presidential election, it would obviously put pressure on him to step down. But if his track record of rigged elections is any indication, Mugabe is likely to go down fighting. The United States and Britain should step in and put pressure on Mugabe to concede. Whether it’s Mugabe’s human rights violations or his malevolent management of the economy, it’s high time for him to leave office. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has vocally commented on Mugabe in the past, and now it’s time for the world’s attention to throw some weight behind his words.

Families of autism sufferers search for answers – April is autism awareness month, and along with the call for increased awareness come the accusations that autism is linked with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, which is composed of the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal, according to CNN. Most children receive the MMR vaccine between the ages of 1 and 2 years old, about the same time that children with autism begin to regress developmentally.

Though the age that autism begins to manifest tends to coincide with the age children receive their vaccinations, researchers from 14 large studies have found no link between autism and thimerosal – evidence that these claims are merely a result of unfortunate coincidence. Sadly, media outlets and parents searching for answers that science has not yet discovered continue to push the vaccine-autism link – an action that can lead to tragic results. Parents exempting their children from vaccines are putting their children and others at risk for developing deadly diseases.

The smoking gene – Scientists conducting several separate studies have possibly discovered a link between being addicted to smoking and a person’s genetic makeup. The discovery provides strong evidence between genetics and a person’s predisposition toward addiction to nicotine, as well as their ability to kick the habit, according to the Associated Press. The studies are certainly interesting and provide a firm grounding for the institution of health care-supported quitting programs that are tailored to individuals’ needs. This genetic link mostly points to the idea that it would be more difficult for smokers to quit, something that insurance companies need to note.

However, the study could also provide an excuse for smokers to justify their addiction by saying that they were “born to be smokers,” and also provide them with less incentive to quit as they might be less willing to fight what they believe to be their “fate.”

But the fact remains that it is still a personal choice to pick up a cigarette and start smoking, something that genetics can’t explain away. Even if people cite their “predisposition,” the research really only explains that it might make it harder for smokers to quit, not for non-smokers to start smoking.