Mormon Baptism Targets Anne Frank — Again

In “Mormon Baptism Targets Anne Frank — Again,” Andrea Stone reports that a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints posthumously baptized Anne Frank, the Jewish girl who famously chronicled her days in Nazi Germany in a diary. Such proxy rituals to baptize Anne Frank have been carried out since 1989, but this is the first time that her name has been found in Mormon-only databases for genealogy, and posthumous baptisms. Many Holocaust survivors, including “Night” author Elie Wiesel and the parents of famous Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, have also been submitted for Mormon baptisms. Despite a 1995 agreement between the Mormon Church and Jewish leaders that posthumous baptisms of all Jews were not to be tolerated, these proxy baptisms continue to appear on the Mormon genealogy website.

Men Defining Rape: A History

In “Men Defining Rape: A History,” Erika Eichelberger chronicles the history of how men tried to define when it is okay and when it is not okay to rape a woman. Although laws against rape have existed since ancient times, what constitutes as rape changes dramatically over mankind’s history. Early civilizations mention rape of a virgin as property damage against the father, while non-virgins were cast off. Men of the Middle Ages suggested that rape, and resulting pregnancies, simply couldn’t happen if the woman wasn’t consensual. In the 18th and 19th centuries, a woman who had been raped had to somehow prove that her virginity was lost, and if she had an orgasm or did not try to fight, then the rape was consensual. In modern times, definitions of rape have been modified to be gender neutral, and include factors such as drug or alcohol influence. Even so, men such as Todd Akin try to define rape with inaccurate and misogynistic “facts,” such as females being able to “shut down” the rape from happening.

Prozac: What’s Race Got to Do With It?

In “Prozac: What’s Race Got to Do With It?,” Azeen Ghorayashi reports that race and health insurance status affects a patient’s access to prescribed Prozac pills. Prozac, an anti-depressant pill, is used by more than 33 million people every year. But according to various studies, physicians were more likely to prescribed the drug to white patients and those with private health care. Non-whites and those using Medicare or Medicare who managed to get a prescription were being prescribed cheaper, older varieties of anti-depressants. While it is unknown exactly why these disparities occur, professors who conducted these studies concluded that the different factors involved, such as cultural differences, financial issues, or nearly-transparent racism, would be very difficult to eliminate. Despite this, these professors are urging policymakers and physicians to eliminate the treatment gap and improve doctor guidelines so that as many people as possible can be treated correctly.