- Physician Aid in Dying Gains Acceptance in The U.S. New York Times by Paula Span—In recent months, physician aid in dying has become available to a growing number of Americans. Last June, aid-in-dying legislation took effect in California, the most populous state. In November, Colorado voters approved a ballot measure by nearly a two-thirds majority. The District of Columbia Council has passed a similar law, and the mayor quietly signed it last month….The laws, all based on the Death With Dignity Act Oregon adopted in 1997, allow physicians to write prescriptions for lethal drugs when patients qualify. The somewhat complicated procedure involves two oral requests and a written one, extensive discussions, and approval by two physicians. Patients must have the mental capacity to make medical decisions.
- Abortion Rate Declines to Historic Low, with Obamacare a Likely Contributor, Study Says Los Angeles Times by Nina Agrawal—The U.S. abortion rate has hit its lowest point since the procedure became legal nationwide in 1973, according to a new study. The researchers estimated that there were 926,200 abortions in 2014, or 14.6 abortions for every 1,000 women of reproductive age. That was down 14 percent from three years earlier...Though the study did not look at the reasons for the decline, the authors and other experts suggested that improved access to contraception played the biggest role by preventing unintended pregnancies.
- 1 in 4 US Men Have Cancer-Linked HPV Genital Infections AP by Lindsey Tanner—The first national estimate suggests that nearly half of U.S. men have genital infections caused by a sexually transmitted virus and that one in four has strains linked with several cancers. Most human papillomavirus infections cause no symptoms and most disappear without treatment. And most adults will get an HPV infection at some point in their lives. The study "just underscores that you need to vaccinate boys as well as girls, " said Debbie Saslow, an HPV specialist at the American Cancer Society.
