Has California Doctor Gone Too Far?

Ever since the woman dubbed “Octomom” gave birth to octuplets her doctor in California has been under investigation. Medical experts from all across the country have condemned Dr. Michael Kamrava for implanting so many embryos in Nadya Suleman and the outcry has caught the attention of the state Medical Board. The latest allegation is that Dr. Kamrava also implanted seven embryos in a 48 year old woman causing the death of a fetus.

Fertility doctors say Dr. Kamrava has given everyone in their profession a black eye for operating so recklessly. Kamrava is now facing the loss of his license to practice medicine and many of his critics say that cannot happen soon enough. This latest case occurred after “Octomom” made national headlines and attracted the attention of lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have been considering tighter regulations against the fertility industry. The issue has been hotly debated because of the dispute over when life begins, at birth or at conception.

Georgia was one of the first states to try and use the “Octomom’s” case to try and change the law to limit how many embryos could be implanted by fertility doctors and that proposal was met by widespread opposition. Critics called it an excuse to pass an anti-abortion measure and argued that the process should not be subject to arbitrary rules because each individual case can be difficult. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine has adopted industry guidelines for fertility doctors which they recommend be followed. The organization says the number to be implanted depends on the age of the mother and they recommend a maximum of 5 embryos for women over 40 who are expected to run into the greatest difficulty of carrying a child to full term. A healthy young woman attempting the procedure should have no more than two embryos implanted according to the group.

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Equal Pay for Equal Work

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President Obama is calling on Congress to approve the Paycheck Fairness Act. This is a measure that is very similar to one that was proposed a few years back that makes it easier for women to sue if men in the office are getting more money for the same work. Government statistics have found that women typically make about 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man in a similar position.

Supporters of the measure say women now make up 50% of the workforce and believe it is time to finally achieve true pay equality. The last major piece of legislation in this area was adopted in 1963 and those who back the Paycheck Fairness Act say it is time for an update. The biggest source of contention is helping women find out if they are being underpaid and the new rules would open access to financial records. It would also strengthen the penalties for companies which are not following the law.

The American Association of University Women has done a study to show that over the course of a career, the pay inequities will cost the typical female executive over $700,000. The study also shows that retirement benefits for women are impacted because those are based on the money earned while working. The group says the arguments that women are paid less because they take time off for child bearing or fail to work as many hours as men are not true.

Opponents of the Paycheck Fairness Act include organizations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It doesn’t think it is fair to force companies to publicize worker salaries and questions how comparable work would be defined. They also object to provisions in the bill which lift current limits on the amount of jury awards in cases that involve sex discrimination in the workplace.

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Is This a Sign of the Ugliness to Come?

The fall elections are not until November but already we are being bombarded with ads from both sides that are becoming more and more critical. The latest salvo from the Democratic Party could set the tone for the entire campaign and the races are shaping up to be very nasty. At stake is control of the Congress, Democrats do not want to give it up and Republicans want to win it back.

One Republican Congressman has said that the way to get the country back on track is to go back to the policies of the past that promoted free enterprise instead of diminishing it. Democrats have taken those comments to mean Republicans want to go back to the way George Bush governed the United States and have made that the subject of a new television ad. The ad opens with the comments from Republican Jeff Sessions on a news magazine show and then interrupts him to ask “the same agenda that cost eight million Americans their jobs?” The democratic ad calls that an agenda America can’t afford putting interests on Wall Street ahead of main street.

On the flip side, a number of Republican groups have been running critical ads as well. Their target is the policies of the President which they say are socialistic instead of capitalistic. One billboard put up by the Tea Party movement included photos of the President along with Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin which was quickly taken down after charges of racism were levelled against the group. Strategists have advised Republican candidates to try and make the President the big issue in this mid-term election. His approval numbers have slipped to new lows and the GOP sees an opportunity to take advantage of his weakening popularity.

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The Government Wants to Keep You Healthy

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The health care reform bill approved by Congress means that insurance companies across America are now required to pay the full cost for preventive treatments and screenings aimed at warding off disease. New rules worked out by the administration of President Obama dictate that preventive health care be available without any copays or deductibles. The reform bill has also required Medicare to provide preventive screenings at no cost to seniors.

There are four sets of services that the government says must be provided free of charge. They include preventive medicine that is given a high priority by a government task force which has been studying the types of screenings which are considered to be most beneficial. If the task force has graded the screening as an A or B then the insurance companies must provide full coverage. Examples of these types of procedures are screenings for breast and colon cancer. Tests for diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels must be covered as well.

In addition to those types of screenings, the government rules require full coverage with no deductibles for all vaccines for child immunizations. The rules also say that baby visits to a pediatrician should not be subject to any copay. The government now mandates as well that all hearing and vision tests for children must be fully funded. Types of counseling must be covered in full as well, like help quitting smoking or losing weight.

When President Obama argued for health care reform he said that paying for preventive health care now will help save insurance companies money in the long run. Government estimates show that 75% of all money spent today on health care is for treatment of chronic conditions that could have been prevented if the problems had been detected earlier. Thse new rules apply to all health insurance plans that renew on or after September 23rd.

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President Obama’s War

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June was the bloodiest month for U.S. forces in the war in Afghanistan. As the casualties mount, there is growing concern that the war there may not be winnable. President Obama has made Afghanistan ground zero in the war on terror and remains committed to the effort despite growing opposition. He has made a command change on the ground in Afghanistan to try and reverse the course.

The new commander is General David Petraeus who was quickly confirmed by democrats and republicans alike in the Congress. Petraeus has promised first to review the rules of engagement for U.S. forces which some say have put American soldiers at risk. To try and limit civilian casualties, U.S. forces have been under orders to only return fire when they can clearly identify the gunman responsible for the attack. Often times, this is very difficult to determine because the soldiers are being ambushed at night. Many of the 59 Americans who were killed in Afghanistan in June died in this type of encounter and 58 others were killed in fighting in May.

Critics of the war say the situation on the ground in Afghanistan should be improving for U.S. forces and not getting worse.
President Obama committed an extra 30,000 troops to the effort last year but they have not been able to stop the violence which continues to escalate. The President says he will start pulling troops out of Afghanistan by this time next year but unless dramatic gains can be made soon that may not be possible. General Petraeus says he supports the draw down date and will work to secure the country. Whether he will give soldiers more discretion to defend themselves from attack remains to be seen. They have been told to never fire the first shot even if they feel that an attack is imminent.

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