40 Years of The Exorcist
2013 marks not just 40 years of Roe v. Wade but 40 years of The Exorcist, the classic horror movie about piety and possession in a little girl’s upstairs bedroom. Continue Reading →
Tag: health care
Service Announcement for Journos
A friendly reminder to all of us at the start of this new election cycle: “Pro-life” means much, much more than just anti-abortion. It’s an entire set of beliefs leveled at legislating bodily autonomy. For women, yes and most controversially, but also for the sick, the poor, the disabled, the terminal, gays, parents; in short, “pro-life” efforts impact health care access for all of us, regardless of our belief systems. So stories like this, at The Economist, are helpful but fall way short of the necessary discussion that should be taking place in the national media. Continue Reading →
Editor on the Radio
Don’t miss my interview on WBAI’s “Healthstyles,” with Barbara Glickstein. Tonight at 11 pm on 99.5 FM. I’ll be discussing Catholic hospitals and end of life care, issues discussed in my last article for The Nation, found here.
It’s a two part series so check out the second segment on August 25th, same time and place. Continue Reading →
Religion and the Definition of Death
From The Lancet:
An intense debate has been rekindled in orthodox Jewish circles on whether brain-stem death is compatible with the definition of death by the Halacha—the collective body of Jewish law. Last week, the UK’s Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks caused widespread consternation among physicians when he issued an edict stating that he and his rabbinical court—the London Beth Din—reject the legal and medical definition of death and only accept the traditional halachic definition of cardiorespiratory failure. This apparently regressive interpretation comes at a time when all countries are discussing the most effective ways of encouraging organ donation in an attempt to deal with growing waiting lists for transplantation.
Passing 9/11 Health Bill Would Mean Disrespecting Christmas
Elissa Lerner: Last Thursday, after Senate republicans filibustered their way out of passing the Zadroga Bill, also known as the 9/11 health care bill which would provide $7.4 billion in health aid to ailing first responders, few took notice. However, on the Daily Show last night, Jon Stewart took the issue quite seriously. Little did we know that staying to work and pass the bill would require the Senate to denigrate Christmas! Continue Reading →
Pitts Gets Another Crack at Health Care
The anti-abortion site Lifenews is reporting that Rep. Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania will chair the health subcommittee of the House and Energy Committee, where challenges to the Obama administration’s health care bill are expected to originate. Last November, Pitts made a national name for himself as the co-sponsor of the Stupak-Pitts amendment that nearly railroaded the proposed health care legislation. The amendment claims that the new health care structure will allow government money to be used for abortion, a violation, the bill asserted, of the Hyde Amendment. Hyde was passed in 1976 as a reaction to Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. It states that government funded Medicaid may not be used to pay for abortion; the language of the amendment has changed over the years and continues to be renewed annually. Continue Reading →
Bad Medicine
“Is Religion Good Medicine?” asks the cover line on the latest Newsweek. It’s certainly good cover fodder, as is health. One wonders whether Newsweek felt the dynamic duo of popular subjects were such Continue Reading →