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INFERTILITY: THE CHOICES, THE ISSUES

                                                             Imagine the anguish of a married couple who desperately want to have a child yet because of infertility cannot. They look to medical science for help and find that many techniques and therapies have been developed to overcome infertility. Does it matter which one they choose, if any. Today infertile couples have options that were not available just decades ago. But along with the choices comes a serious question. What are the ethical and moral implications of assisted reproductive techniques? Before we consider that, though, let us see how various religious groups view such treatments.                             SOME TYPES OF FERTILITY TREATMENTS   1.        AI [ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION]. A procedure in which semen is introduced into the female reproductive organs by other than natural means. AI is an option often tried before the procedures described below. 2.        GIFT [GAMETE INTRAFALLOPIAN TRAN

BINGE DRINKING: WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT?

                  BINGE DRINKING “Even though we had been drinking for several hours, my friend and left the party at 1:00 a.m. with our own bottle of whiskey. We started walking home –drinking as we walked. The next thing I remember was the sun coming up, and I realized that we had been walking the wrong way. In fact, we had been walking along a major highway. It’s a miracle that we didn’t get hit.”-Emmy.                                                               BINGE DRINKING Some define it as simply drinking to get drunk. A report by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism tried to be more specific. It said that binge drinking is “typically defined as consuming five or more drinks in a row for men, and four or more drinks in a row for women” Health officials in the United States call binge drinking “a major public health problem.” According to a study of secondary-school children in England, Scotland, and Wales, “up to a quarter of 13 an

STEM CELLS: HAS SCIENCE GONE TOO FAR?

                            STEM CELLS: HAS SCIENCE GONE TOO FAR? Advances in stem cell research have led some to predict cures for a host of illnesses. But not everyone shares the excitement. Why is there so much controversy surrounding stem cells? “The stem cell debate has led scientists and nonscientists alike to contemplate profound issues, such as who we are and makes us human beings”                                  MEDICAL MARVEL, ETHICAL MINEFIELD   Kris has Type 1 diabetes. Her diseased pancreas no longer produces insulin. Now imagine if Kris could go to a doctor and have new cells, specially cultured in a laboratory, transplanted into her body to replace damaged pancreatic cells. As these new cells became functional, Kris could gradually discontinue insulin therapy and return to normal health. Until recent times potential cures would have sounded like science fiction, but now some researchers believe that they are a possibility. Why so? Because in