"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." Northwoods is a ministry dedicated to refreshing Christians and challenging them to search for the truth in Christianity, politics, sociology, and science
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‘Profits over patient safety’: Doctors face medicinal cannabis crackdown
Patients in emergency departments with cannabis-induced psychosis, consults lasting less than a minute and doctors who have issued more than 10,000 scripts in six months are among the cases that have prompted Australia’s healthcare watchdog to announce clearer guidelines for the booming medicinal cannabis industry. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has released guidance for doctors prescribing medicinal cannabis products amid what it described as poor prescribing practice and surging patient demand.
The watchdog has been alarmed by the emergence of “vertically integrated” telehealth clinics, which both prescribe and dispense cannabis products and account for the vast majority of an estimated $500 million worth of sales each year. The regulator’s chief executive Jason Untersteiner said it would crack down on some practitioners with high rates of prescribing, including eight who had issued more than 10,000 scripts in six months, and one who has prescribed cannabis products more than 17,000 times. “Some business models that have emerged in this area rely on prescribing a single product or class of drug and use online questionnaires that coach patients to say ‘the right thing’ to justify prescribing medicinal cannabis,” Untersteiner said. “This raises the very real concern that some practitioners may be putting profits over patient safety.”
In Australia, GPs and qualified nurse practitioners can prescribe medicinal cannabis under a special access scheme set up after cannabis was legalised for medical use in 2016. Under the guidelines, GPs and nurses must only prescribe cannabis products after they have identified a therapeutic need, conducted a thorough assessment of their medical history and other medicines, and developed an exit strategy from the beginning.
Long Europe’s baby-making champions, the French are increasingly aiming to have smaller families or no children at all, a trend driven by changing social norms, economic constraints and the concerns and aspirations of a younger generation.
From her teenage years, Bettina Zourli knew she would be the “cool auntie” – but not a mother herself. It’s a choice she recalls having to justify time and time again.
“People told me that I was bound to change my mind, that it was in the female nature to want children,” says the 31-year-old feminist writer and activist, whose Instagram account @jeneveuxpasdenfant ("I don’t want children") has more than 65,000 followers.
Zourli's views on the matter are increasingly common in a country that used to stand out from its European neighbours for its high birth rate, but has recently fallen in line.
Last year, 12.2 percent of French people said they didn’t want to have children, more than twice the number from 2005, according to a study released on Wednesday by national demography institute INED.
The figure is even higher in the 18-29 age group, roughly equivalent to “Gen Z”, with 15% percent of men and 13.3 percent of women saying they do not want to be parents.
The shifting numbers are the latest indicator of changing attitudes to parenthood and the steady erosion of France’s so-called “demographic exception”.
‘Changing social norms’
Zourli says it’s often hard to pinpoint a particular reason for not wanting children.
“It’s just the absence of desire,” she says. “It’s more of an innate thing. You can’t explain why you don’t want kids.”
According to the INED study, neither gender, nor standard of living, nor professional category alone can explain why a growing number of people say they have no desire for children. It points instead to how “attitudes and opinions” increasingly weigh in the balance.
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Didier Breton, a professor of demography at the University of Strasbourg and associate researcher at INED, cautions against reading the figures as evidence of a fading desire to have children.
“It’s more a matter of changing social norms,” he says. “Twenty years ago, it was less acceptable for people to say they didn’t want children, particularly for women. Today, it’s easier to express such a choice.”
Breton points to several possible motives for not wanting children, including the physical transformations associated with pregnancy, a refusal to accept the constraints of parenthood, and a desire to preserve one’s freedom and independence.
“It’s about making life-defining choices, such as prioritising your career, travelling, or simply not reproducing the family model you’ve known,” he says.
Gender inequality
A 2021 survey of people who did not want children found that 86 percent cited the desire to devote themselves to “private life, relationships, friends and travel”. In second place, 71 percent of respondents said they didn’t identify with parenthood.
The latter figure conceals a major gender gap, with 45 percent of women answering “not at all” against 29 percent for men – a discrepancy that is even wider among people aged under 30.
“Gender inequality is a major factor in women’s stance on whether or not they want children,” says French sociologist Charlotte Debest, whose book “Elles vont finir seules avec leur chats” ("They will end up alone with their cats") will be published later this year.
“The unequal division of domestic labour makes it harder for women to see themselves as mothers,” Debest explains. “Many women refuse to accept traditional models of the ‘good mother’ that persist to this day. Such models are out of step with the aspirations of many young women.”
Concern about climate change and the future of the planet is another major factor.
In the 2021 survey, 63 percent of respondents cited environmental protection as a reason not to have children. The high percentage reflects both growing ecological awareness and a tendency to seek an ethical motive for remaining childless, argues Debest.
“Using the ecological argument gives social legitimacy to people who choose not to have children,” she explains. “Instead of just saying, ‘I don’t want children’, it’s a way to say you’re giving up on children for their own good.”
She adds: “Of course, there are many childless people who are genuinely committed to environmental activism or concerned about the future of the planet.”
The end of the three-child model
Such concerns are fuelling a rapid drop in France’s fertility rate, which slumped to 1.62 children per woman last year, down from 2.02 in 2010, hitting its lowest level since the end of the First World War.
The steady decline in recent years has prompted President Emmanuel Macron to call for a “demographic rearmament” of the nation with new reforms making it easier for people to have children – which are yet to come into law.
According to the INED study, people who do want children are increasingly aiming for smaller families, largely because of economic constraints.
Among women under 30, the desired number of children has fallen from an average of 2.5 in 2005 to 1.9 in 2024, the study found.
“The high cost of living coupled with job and housing instability mean many people feel they simply cannot afford another child,” says Debest. “There is a new awareness of the cost of bringing up children.”
Whereas 26 percent of French people said they wanted three children in 2005, the figure has now dropped to 15.5 percent.
“We are witnessing the erosion of the three-child family model, which was once highly valued in France,” says Breton, for whom the model is “destined to disappear”.
Zourli says she regularly receives Instagram messages from mothers wondering whether they should have a second child, and that many thank her for making them feel “less guilty”.
“The societal pressure to have a nuclear family with a boy, a girl and their heterosexual parents remains strong,” she adds. “But it's being questioned more and more.”
Man opens fire outside Michigan church, is shot and killed by security staff
A man who opened fire outside a Michigan church filled with worshippers on Sunday was struck by a vehicle and then fatally shot by security staff who averted a potential mass shooting, police said.
Churchgoers attending a morning service at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne spotted the gunman driving recklessly and then saw him exit his car wearing a tactical vest and carrying a rifle and a handgun, police Chief Ryan Strong said at an evening news conference.
The man began firing as he approached the church, striking one person in the leg.
Police later identified him as Brian Anthony Browning. His mother attended the church occasionally, but was not there at the time of the shooting, Pastor Bobby Kelly said, adding that he recalled seeing Browning at a service late last year.
0:54
Houston church shooting: Police identify shooter as 36-year-old Genesse Moreno
“He first came when his mother invited him, and I met him,” Kelly said. “He seemed to really have some thoughts that were not threatening or anything like that, but he definitely had some thoughts as far as hearing from God,” he said.
This may be an indication that he was hearing from demons.
“A parishioner struck the gunman with his vehicle as the gunman shot the vehicle repeatedly,” Strong told reporters. “At least two staff members shot the gunman, causing the fatal wounds.”
His motive remains unclear, but it appears he was suffering from a mental health crisis, Strong said.
The shooting occurred around 11 a.m. on Sunday in Wayne, a city of about 17,000 people located about 25 miles (40 kilometres) west of Detroit.
The person who was shot in the leg was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the chief said. Nobody else was hurt.
Strong said a church member ran the suspect over with his pickup truck, giving security staff time to shoot him.
“We are grateful for the heroic actions of the church’s staff members, who undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting,” the chief said.
About 150 people were inside the church at the time. The church’s website says it hosts a worship service on Sundays at 10:45 a.m.
Worshipper Wendy Bodin said she heard a loud “boom,” and when she looked outside, she saw a man sprawled out on the grass in front of the church. “I thought he got hit or crashed his car or was hurt,” Bodin told WXYZ-TV. “And another lady saw and pointed to me and said, ‘Oh my, call 911!’”
Wayne Police Deputy Chief Finley Carter III said hours later that it was too early to know a motive. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino tweeted that bureau “leadership and support teams” were at the scene and helping with the investigation.
A Wisconsin teen has been charged with murdering his mother and stepfather, and is accused of living with their “rotting corpses” for two weeks, according to prosecutors
Nikita Casap, 17, appeared in court on March 27 in Waukesha, Wis., where he faced multiple charges, including first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of his mother, Tatiana Casap, 35, and his stepfather, Donald Mayer, 51.
Casap’s body was found on Feb. 20 after Mayer’s mother called the sheriff’s office and asked for a welfare check. A resource officer from the teen’s school also requested a welfare check after he was absent for two weeks following “perfect” attendance, according to the 14-page criminal complaint.
When officers arrived, Casap’s body was found in a state of decay with gunshot wounds, according to a statement from the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department.
The boy’s mother was found in a hallway covered with blankets and a towel, according to authorities.
“The female was wearing a jacket and had towels over her legs and a blanket over her body. Her face was blackened from decomposition with dried blood on the floor around her,” police stated in the complaint.
On Feb. 28, police executed a search warrant and found Casap’s stepfather in a first-floor office, covered by a pile of clothing.
They needed a search warrant after finding a murder victim?
Casap was found on Feb. 28 after he ran a stop sign while allegedly driving Mayer’s car with the family dog inside. He also had Mayer’s firearm with him, according to the complaint.
“Officers observed in plain view a gun on the passenger side floorboard that was later determined to be a Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum firearm,” the complaint said.
Casap, who does not have a driver’s licence, was also found with jewelry, laptops and other valuable items in the vehicle.
1:27
Teen on trial for Ahmad Al Marrach killing take stand in own defence
Casap was initially charged March 3 with operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent and theft of moveable property.
On March 27, he was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of hiding a corpse, theft of property over $10,000 and two counts of misappropriating ID to obtain money, the sheriff’s department said in a press release.
Police said they found a camera memory card containing video of Casap lighting candles in the office where Mayer’s body was found, and they allege that he recorded the corpse about a week after he was killed.
“The camera is turned facing a chair and Detective Seitz heard presumably the defendant state, “So, you can see him there. I can literally see the f—ing rotten body there,'” according to the complaint.
Officers also said that they found messages on Casap’s cellphone to a Russian citizen discussing plans to escape to Ukraine through the Telegram app.
1:44
Multiple charges for son found living with father’s corpse
“He has been speaking with someone in Russian about moving to Ukraine after committing these crimes, so the state is concerned that he is a flight risk if he is ever released,” prosecutor Brooke Schultz said during Casap’s hearing.
In the complaint, officers said Casap and the person he was messaging on the app “were planning to overthrow the U.S. government and assassinate President Trump.”
“How long will I need to hide before I will be moved to Ukraine? One to two months?” Casap wrote to the unknown individual, according to the complaint.
“So while in Ukraine, I’ll be able to live a normal life? Even if when it’s found out I did it?” Casap wrote in another message.
Casap could face life in prison if convicted. His bail was set to $1 million. His preliminary hearing is set for April 9.
A look at notable ‘not criminally responsible’ cases in Canada
A judge has ruled that Pierre Ny St-Amand, 53, was not criminally responsible for the 2023 bus attack on a Laval, Que., daycare that killed two small children and injured six others. Superior Court Justice Éric Downs concluded Ny St-Amand was experiencing psychosis and could not discern right from wrong. He has been ordered detained in a psychiatric hospital.
Here’s a look at some other high-profile Canadian cases in which there was a not criminally responsible finding:
Chinatown festival stabbing report sheds light on suspect’s release
Blair Donnelly stabbed his 16-year-old daughter to death in Kitimat, B.C., in 2006 and was found not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder. The decision drew renewed attention in 2023 when Donnelly was charged with aggravated assault after three people were stabbed at a Vancouver Chinatown festival. He was free on day release from a forensic psychiatric hospital at the time.
Matthew Raymond shot and killed four people — two civilians and two police officers — from the window of his Fredericton apartment on Aug. 10, 2018. At his trial, evidence was presented that on the day of the shooting, Raymond believed the end of times had arrived and he was surrounded by demons. Crown prosecutors argued Raymond’s delusions were not intense enough to prevent him from understanding that he was shooting humans, and that it was wrong. A jury found Raymond not criminally responsible in 2020.
Isaac Brouillard Lessard had been found not criminally responsible because of mental illness five times for offences in 2014 and 2018 and was being followed by Quebec’s mental health board. But a coroner’s inquest would later hear he was resistant to treatment and wasn’t following court orders regarding his medication. On March 27, 2023, Brouillard Lessard fatally stabbed provincial police Sgt. Maureen Breau and seriously injured another officer before being shot dead by police in his apartment building in Louiseville, Que.
Rohinie Bisesar fatally stabbed Rosemary Junor, a complete stranger, in a pharmacy in downtown Toronto on Dec. 11, 2015. In 2018, a judge found that Bisesar was in the throes of a psychotic episode due to untreated schizophrenia at the time of the attack. A psychiatrist concluded Bisesar suffered from severe hallucinations and delusions that manifested as a voice commanding her to harm someone.
Matthew de Grood was found not criminally responsible for the killings in April 2014 of Zackariah Rathwell, Jordan Segura, Kaitlin Perras, Josh Hunter and Lawrence Hong in Calgary. It was ruled that he was suffering delusions at the time and did not understand his actions were wrong. The university student, who has schizophrenia, went to a party that marked the end of the school year believing the devil was talking to him and a war was about to begin, signalling the end of the world.
Richard Kachkar stole a snow plow in the early morning of Jan. 12, 2011 and, in the middle of a two-hour rampage with it, hit and killed Toronto police Sgt. Ryan Russell. Witnesses heard him yell about the Taliban, Chinese technology and microchips. He was found not criminally responsible at trial in 2013 and was held in the secure unit of a mental health hospital near Toronto. In 2018, the Ontario Review Board gave Kachkar a conditional discharge.
Kimberly Noyes told police in 2009 that she had killed a 12-year-old autistic boy with a knife. Noyes, from Grand Forks, B.C., was found not criminally responsible for John Fulton’s death. Medical experts testified that she was bipolar and severely depressed, had gone off her medication and was hearing voices.
Vincent Li fatally stabbed and beheaded Tim McLean, the young man sleeping next to him on a Greyhound bus in Manitoba, on July 30, 2008. Li told a mental-health advocate he heard the voice of God telling him McLean was an alien who he needed to destroy. Li was found not criminally responsible and was sent to the Selkirk Mental Health Centre. Li saw his privileges expand slowly after his admission to the facility. In February 2016, Li, now known as Will Baker, won the right to eventually move out of a group home and live on his own. In 2017, he was granted an absolute discharge after the board found he did not pose a significant safety threat.___
Glen Race pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Trevor Brewster and second-degree murder of Paul Michael Knott. Race suffered from schizophrenia and was not taking his medication in May 2007 when he lured the Halifax men to their deaths. Court was told Race believed he was a vampire slayer and a godlike entity at the time of the killings. He was found not criminally responsible, based on a joint recommendation from the Crown and the defence.___
Gregory Despres fatally stabbed two elderly neighbours in Minto, N.B., in 2005, decapitating one of them. Despres, a naturalized U.S. citizen, had crossed into the United States after the killings despite guards finding him with a small arsenal including a chainsaw, a sword and brass knuckles. He told them he was an assassin on a military mission. Three psychiatrists diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia and he was found not criminally responsible.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2025.
