On March 26th, the Supreme Court will convene to determine the availability of the abortion drug mifepristone. The cases also challenge the state’s right to regulate the health and safety of its constituents (its ‘police power’). But that’s not all that’s at stake.
Policy & Ethics
We spend 85% of our time indoors, and air conditioning can provide relief when and where we need it. Nevertheless, regulatory agencies continue to press for tighter outdoor emission controls. Their mantra is that lives can be shortened by long-term (years) exposure, no matter how trivial. This is the linear, no-threshold hypothesis currently promulgated by EPA.
Medicare Advantage (MA) seems to be the belle of the healthcare ball, attracting more seniors than ever. A recent Commonwealth Fund survey aimed to unveil the supposed "value-added" services of MA over traditional Medicare, but is the MA magic more of a sleight of hand than a genuine healthcare marvel?
The Bible of science – the body of peer-reviewed literature – is increasingly filled with dubious and even fraudulent research. Most academics openly recognize the threat this poses to scientific progress, though viable solutions to academic fraud are sorely lacking. How do we address this critical problem?
Bubonic Plague first invaded American shores in early 1900, launching political and scientific warfare, invoking quarantines and forced vaccines, triggering social upheaval and racial justice concerns, and inflaming competing social agendas, much akin to the COVID controversies. The courts got involved there, but then, government powers were crimped.
Censorship in science, GMOs, opioids and the health effects of porn use. Come listen to my wide-ranging discussion with podcaster Vance Crowe.
In a chilling Lancet study, the haunting reality of homicide rates among American women unfolds, with guns emerging as the weapon of choice, echoing structural inequities in which women are most impacted. In United States v. Rahimi, the Supreme Court grapples with the constitutional clash between gun control and domestic violence restraining orders, challenging us to confront some harsh realities.
Oregon’s Measure 110, which decriminalized drug use and ramped up harm reduction, took effect in 2021 at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. After barely giving it a chance to have any effect, lawmakers got cold feet and decided to return to the tried – and failed – approach that has made the war on drugs America’s longest and most disastrous war.
In this segment, we seek answers for ethical quandaries posed by Pre-Natal Genetic Testing (which of necessity involves use of IVF) from legal doctrine, exploring the procedures’ impact on individual choices, informed consent, and the ownership of genetic information.
NPR recently lost its nerve over the realization that some men are giving up internet porn, fearing this "masturbation abstinence" trend is a gateway to radical right-wing politics. The media should be more interested in the potentially serious health impacts of porn itself.
The sci-fi world of Gattaca promised parents the option of selecting genetically bespoke children. Now you can buy a menu of tests prophesing your kids’ health risks – even before the embryo is implanted. Soon, we can expect tests for brains, brawn, and beauty. How do we even make that decision?
Two federal courts have ruled that the Biden Administration unduly influenced social media moderation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some public health and legal experts have argued that these efforts were necessary and did not constitute censorship. They are downplaying the extent of the government's efforts and overlooking their serious consequences.