Should Sick People Pay More to Risk Their Lives

This article is talking about people in hospitals are needing to pay for experimental medicine which may treat their illness better, or kill them. The topic was started after a drug was made for HIV patients. The recently made drug was offered to certain patients. The ethical issue was that the patients will be choosing between medicine that they know already works well enough, or potentially lethal medicine which may work better for their sickness.

Should people who need medicine for an illness, pay more for potentially lethal drugs which could work better?

Thousands in Calif. started school without vaccines

Many children are starting school without the proper vaccines needed because their parents are choosing not to get them the vaccine requirements due to "Medical Exemptions" and "Personal Beliefs Exemption." Medical Exemption is reserved for kids who can are allergic to some vaccines or have auto-immune disorders, this exemption needs extra information and a doctors signature. Personal Belied Exemption is an option that does not need extra information or a doctors signature. A lot of parents are turning to internet and stories heard from friends for health advice and because of this unvaccinated children are increasing. Last year, the whooping cough killed 10 babies and sickened 9,100 people.


Do you think that parents should maintain the right to opt out of having their child vaccinated?

New Australian Passports Allow Third Gender Option

Australia's new passport has a section for be who are either transgendered or lack a sex. On this passport, there will be a section marked with an X for these people. The passport's main purpose, according to an Australian senator, will help prevent gender discrimination. This new passport will also prevent classifying for people, since before this passport was created, people were required to have surgery designed to give a person a specific gender depending on which gender they preferred.

Is there a difference between gender and sex? Does a person's chosen gender lead to gender discrimination?

One Sperm Donor, 150 Sons and Daughters

This article is about the many children that can now be born from a single sperm donor. 150 children were conceived from the sperm of a single donor. Half siblings of children born through artificial insemination can now be tracked on a Web-based registry. As the number of children with similar genes increases, so do the chances of accidental incest between half-siblings. In addition, there is a possibility that genes for rare diseases are being spread throughout the population.

With the onset of artificial insemination, should there be laws governing how many children can be born from a single sperm donor? What would happen to society if all parents chose the same donor because of his superior genes?

Stem Cells

Stem Cell research has been an on-going issue in the U.S. since the 90's. Scientists have been researching the cells to see if they can be used to repair damaged cells that cause Cancer, Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's. However, the stem cells are extracted from unborn embryos and that sparked the issue for the study. Pro-Life activists stepped in an said it was morally wrong to take the unborn child's life away, many big U.S. officials agreed. The U.S. Congress passed the Dickey-Wicker Ammendment in 1996 and has renewed it every year since. In 2006, Congress created a bill that expanded research due to people calling in but President Bush vetoed the bill. In 2010, Chief Judge Royce C. Lambert blocked President Obama's executive order to expand Stem Cell research. But now in May of 2011 the Federal appeals pannel appealed the decision and created what will be an extremely lengthy legal battle.

What is wrong about using embryos to come up with cures for serious and fatal diseases or injuries?

'Magic mushroom' drug may improve personality long-term

With advances in technology researchers have been searching and learning about new medicine that can be used. Researchers recently have experimented with hallucinogen psilocybin, it is the active ingredient in a magic mushroom. During the test the ingredient was able to change peoples personality. The scientist want to see if this drug could possibly help cancer patients feel less depressed.



Would being able to buy this type of drug at any store be good or bad for society?

Obstacles Slow an Easy Way to Prevent H.I.V. in Men

In many nations of Africa, men have more than a 60% chance of getting HIV. The international health authorities have concluded on a solution for such an epidemic, which is to circumcise 20 million men, 80 percent of 15-49 year-olds in 14 African countries by 2015. American officials estimate the 80 percent goal would cost $2 billion, but would save $16.5 billion by preventing 4 million infections. The plan is already in place as Kenya is furthest along with 330,000 circumcisions, a third of the government's goal, which exceeds the international health agencies' goal.

Does it intrude human rights to force millions of people to be circumcised?