It has come to my attention that the Arizona Senate has passed SB 1359, which deals with civil liability, wrongful life and wrongful birth. Upon a single read, though, I had found this bill to be thoughtful in that it adequately strengthens the protection of doctors when dealing with the ever growing controversial topic of abortion. It is impossible to establish harm in wrongful life claims, therefore it shouldn’t be held at the fault of the doctor to withhold such information from expecting parents. But the troubling aspect of this bill is that it presumably gives doctors the right to lie to their patient. Not all cases of wrongful birth/life occur because of immorality, this also leads me to the fact that the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy is left untouched in this bill. If omitted knowledge could lead to the death of a constituent then the bill is only saving the doctor’s pockets and not really a potential child’s life. In conclusion, I believe that a revision should be made to SB 1359, one that clearly states that if doctors fail to inform a mother of detrimental and life threatening (effects) to a mother their “immunity” from lawsuits is nullified.

As Joshua Kolsrud drifted in and out of consciousness, his left arm cut to the bone after being stabbed, the Arizona State University student kept thinking "Oh my God, my parents are going to kill me."

Until this past Friday, a man who raped his wife in Arizona might have been convicted of a misdemeanor. Increasing the punishment to a felony is one example of how society and the law have changed their view of sexual assaults.

Until this past Friday, a man who raped his wife in Arizona might have been convicted of a misdemeanor.

Until this past Friday, a man who raped his wife in Arizona might have been convicted of a misdemeanor.

October 28, 2004

By Lawn Griffiths

MINNEAPOLIS - The Mayo Clinic's reputation and grateful testimonials from people like the CEO of Marriott hotels have brought it within striking distance of an ambitious five-year goal to raise $1.25 billion.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI said Wednesday in his first encyclical that the Roman Catholic Church has no desire to govern states or set public policy, but can't remain silent when its charity is needed to ease suffering around the world.

One of the tricky things about using genetic tests in medicine is whether knowledge of a particular gene variation is sufficient to offer specific medical advice.

As Richard Leis Jr. learns about the science of today to provide his livelihood, he's counting on the science of tomorrow to give him a second chance at life if his is cut short.

In an age of science, religious conflicts abound. Violence in Iraq often stems from differences in faiths. In the United States, political turmoil and shootings have been born out of a difference of opinion over when a fertilized egg becomes a human.

Stepping into a research area marked by controversy and fraud, Harvard University scientists said Tuesday they are trying to clone human embryos to create stem cells they hope can be used one day to help conquer a host of diseases.

SAN FRANCISCO - Federal regulators on Thursday approved what would be the first transplant of fetal stem cells into human brains, a procedure that if successful could open the door to treating a host of neural disorders.

March 22, 2005

SLEEPY EYE, Minn. - A courtroom clash between medicine and faith took a criminal turn, with police around the country on the lookout Wednesday for a Minnesota mother who fled with her cancer-stricken 13-year-old son rather than consent to chemotherapy.

Katie Ringler of Tempe is about to spend the next year traveling parts of the world, retracing the steps of Mother Teresa, the iconic Catholic nun who died 10 years ago this summer. “I have had really powerful women who have been examples to me in life,” said the 23-year-old, a May graduate of a private college in Pennsylvania.

WASHINGTON - A stubborn Senate voted Wednesday to ease restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, ignoring President Bush's threat of a second veto on legislation designed to lead to new medical treatments.

PHOENIX - Behind the county hospital's tall cinderblock walls, a 27-year-old tuberculosis patient sits in a jail cell equipped with a ventilation system that keeps germs from escaping.

There’s no question that Gunther von Hagens’ Body Worlds exhibits are raking in huge profits, breaking attendance records at science museums across the country and offering something most people can’t see anywhere else — the inside of human

A small but growing national network says it’s only fair that registered organ donors be considered for organ transplants before nondonors.

A small but growing national network says it’s only fair that registered organ donors be considered for organ transplants before nondonors.

ATLANTA  — When the nation's swine flu vaccination program began in early October, health officials predicted it was going to be "messy." They were right.

Religion roundup - Services and events in June