Society benefits from physicians who seek truth and healing for the good of humanity. Despite ethical admonishments to “do no harm,” however, physicians have caused some of the most appalling human rights abuses of the twentieth century. Physicians, alone or in concert with the state, have willfully abused their medical knowledge and debauched their profession in furtherance of human rights violations. Compounding their crimes, physicians often have been complicit in following oppressive regimes in abusive practices against their citizens. Ironically, it is their knowledge of this healing art that allows physicians to take part in this injurious conduct; and it is this knowledge that states seek to harness in buttressing violative policies. In fact, for nations bent on violating human rights, it is “much easier for governments to adopt inherently evil and destructive policies if they are aided by the patina of legitimacy that physician participation provides.”

Pregnancy is a biological process that usually takes forty weeks. The more advanced pregnancy is in terms of gestational age, the higher the chances that the fetus would survive in case of a premature and unnatural delivery. Hence, when a pregnant woman is struck by brain death, the fetus’ chances of survival are seriously and immediately threatened. Until recently, there were two choices in such a situation: letting the mother (and the fetus) naturally die without further intervention or delivering the fetus through a cesarean section when the death of the fetus was a tragic but likely result.

Recent advances in medical technology, however, have provided physicians with an ability to control over the time and manner of death in ways that were never previously considered by their patients.

The medical liability crisis is affecting our healthcare system. Medical liability and limited physician and hospital access to malpractice insurance have pushed many providers to leave their states, reduce their services, or simply retire. For many, a labor of love has become an agonizing search for insurance to ensure continued practice in an industry for which they trained eight, fifteen, or even twenty years. Limited insurance and potential liability has also led to defensive medicine, in which providers try to avoid lawsuits by ordering tests, procedures, and anything else that might help protect against liability. Moreover, providers may also attempt to avoid high-risk patients or practices altogether to limit opportunities for lawsuits. Although it is questionable whether these efforts actually help, the provider perception of self-preservation through defensive medicine is undeniable—and providers, like everyone, act on their perceptions.

Fat. Many love to eat it, but hate to carry it. The majority of people in the United States struggle to get out of this love/hate bond. Unfortunately, they find themselves stuck in an abusive relationship.

Obesity is the “fastest-growing major health problem in the United States.” Approximately two thirds of American adults are overweight or obese. In addition, 15 percent of children are overweight. The number of people suffering from this chronic ailment dwarfs the number of people afflicted with other diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Obesity leads to over 400,000 deaths a year, and it costs the United States over $117 billion per year. The prevalence and cost of the disease “warrants an increased emphasis on prevention and treatment.”