Harms Linked to Unapproved Stem Cell Interventions Highlight Need for Greater FDA Enforcement Source: Pew Research Center What harms do unapproved stem cell interventions bring to patients? There is debate on how these interventions should be managed by the FDA. “Many of these unapproved interventions have led to life-threatening infections, chronic pain, and even death ..read more

Medical Journals Blind to Racism as Health Crisis, Critics Say Source: The New York Times Medical journals publish many studies that link racism to socioeconomic or biological factors. “Less often do their editors, mostly white and male, accept papers that explore how systemic racism shapes the health care experiences of Black and brown people ..read more

Limit on lab-grown human embryos dropped by stem-cell body Source: Nature “The international body representing stem-cell scientists has torn up a decades-old limit on the length of time that scientists should grow human embryos in the lab, giving more leeway to researchers who are studying human development and disease ..read more

With Legal Challenges to Abortion, Whither Prenatal Diagnosis? Source: The Hastings Center Abortion law interacts greatly with prenatal diagnosis that gives parents information about their child. If laws change, “what role will prenatal diagnosis be left to play?” How can we think about prenatal diagnosis moving forward ..read more

Prominent GI oncologist Axel Grothey was forced out of Mayo Clinic for unethical sexual relationships with women he mentored Source: The Cancer Letter “”The aftermath of sexual misconduct at premier medical institutions rarely leaves visible traces: HR is brought in, confidentiality invoked, deals made. The case of Axel Grothey’s exit from Mayo Clinic is a notable exception ..read more

Make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory Source: Newsday Should COVID-19 vaccines be mandatory? “Lawmakers in more than 40 states have proposed legislation to prohibit mandates requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Sponsors of such measures argue that vaccination should be a choice ..read more

Speech Rights of Health Workers Bolstered by Appeals Court Ruling Source: Courthouse News Service Many employees have spoken out against their company’s policies especially during the pandemic. “The appeals court ruled Wednesday that a hospital worker shouldn’t have been fired for complaining to a newspaper about staffing practices ..read more

Should Kids Be Able to Get COVID-19 Vaccine Without Parental Consent? Source: Medscape Should children be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine without parental consent? Listen here as Arthur Caplan, bioethicist, discusses if permission should be considered as a necessity if children want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine ..read more

Vaccine makers pledge 2.3B doses to less wealthy nations Source: ABC News “A global health summit that underlined the growing disparity between rich and poor countries during the pandemic closed Friday with pledges by pharmaceutical companies to deliver more than 1.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to LMICs this year ..read more

Gov. Greg Abbott signs into law one of nation’s strictest abortion measures, banning procedure as early as six weeks into a pregnancy Source: Texas Tribune “Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Wednesday a measure that would prohibit in Texas abortions as early as six weeks — before some women know they are pregnant — and open the door for almost any private citizen to sue abortion providers and others ..read more