Stem cell therapy has become the subject of huge interest and vigorous debates. Promoters believe stem cells offer great promise for new medical treatments to combat cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and other regenerative diseases, while the opposition argues that research on embryos—the prime source of the most versatile stem cells, pluripotent—destroys human life. In the past year, scientists have found genes that can transform ordinary skin cells into cells that look and act like embryonic stem cells, eliminating the use ... Read More

Wine drinkers rejoice, your favorite glass of red or white may actually help you lower your risk of developing esophageal cancer, which is one of the deadliest and fastest growing cancers in the United States. The rates of esophageal cancer have increased over the last three decades, due to a more than 500 percent increase of esophageal adenocarcinoma, a subtype of the cancer that is linked to acid reflux disease. But beware overdoing it, as alcohol abuse is a known ... Read More

Raids by the federal government on legally sanctioned medical marijuana facilities will become a thing of the past. President Obama is averse to using federal funds for this purpose, particularly when state law provides for medicinal marijuana use. Moving forward, decisions on medical marijuana raids will be left up to state government. Most states individually have their own laws regarding medical marijuana distribution and supply, but to the federal government it is illegal and under President Bush the federal government ... Read More

Publicly funded family planning services help women achieve a fundamental aspect of reproductive health—the ability to choose whether and when to bear children. Absent these services, the U.S. abortion rate would be nearly two-thirds higher than it currently is, and almost twice as high among poor women. Despite these alarming statistics, our government abandoned an attempt last month to expand the family planning services for the poor in the economic stimulus bill. Soon, however, Democrats in Congress plan to push ... Read More