By Hyeongsu Park and Kathy Wang
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Looking seriously at the issue of the federal regulation that could require insurance coverage of sterilization and contraception, Harvard Law School professor Mary Ann Glendon questions the implication of this policy on religious liberty and freedoms.
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A NY Times article highlights the troubling trend of increased instances of “pseudoacademia,” in which conferences and journals will invite speakers and publish papers, but based on a monetary contribution and not peer review or any other merit-based decision making.
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Reemerging into public debate is the permissibility of allowing terminally ill patients to seek the aid of doctors in ending their lives. Currently Washington and Oregon are the only states in which physician-assisted suicide is legal.
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In a win for Purdue Pharma, the Food and Drug Adminsitration ruled that it would not approve the production of generic versions of OxyContin. This narcotic has long been subject to much scrutiny because of its reputation as a frequent painkiller used in prescription drug abuse.
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On April 15th, the Supreme Court was presented a case in which the central issue revolved around the permissibility of the patenting of genes. As a result, multiple articles have analyzed the possible repercussions of the final judgment, from economic, scientific, and bioethical perspectives.
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This Wednesday, the Illinois State House of Representatives voted to advance a bill allowing physicians to prescribe medical marijuana for patients with certain types of “terminal illnesses or debilitating medical conditions.”
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A Mississippi state law that would result in the closing of the state’s only abortion clinic was stayed by a state judge, although the ruling is not final.
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A San Francisco federal appeals court has been presented a case regarding a California law that had banned “conversion therapy” for minors. Such therapy is a form of counseling aimed at trying to change the sexual orientation of individuals.
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Providing little solace to advocates of stricter gun control, a day after the Senate rejected measures that included background checks for gun purchases, the Senate agreed to add measures to the gun control bill to address mental health issues.
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Federal law may pose health care barriers to same-sex spouses, as reported by Kaiser Health News.
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In Australia, an ethics debate has emerged around the right of pharmacists to sell details of prescriptions, especially the contact information of doctors, to private companies. This practice has been condemned as a breach of patient confidentiality.