Monica Potts

In a question-and-answer session with The New York Times, bioethicist Dr. Howard Brody follows up on his New England Journal of Medicine editorial making the case that doctors have a professional obligation to keep medical costs down. In the health-care debate, physicians have supported health insurance reforms but don’t want those reforms to affect their […]

In the final push for a health-care bill, Democratic leaders in the House are working behind the scenes with anti-abortion members to try to get them to drop their opposition to the Senate bill’s language on abortion, the Washington Post reports. The Senate bill adopted language from Sen. Ben Nelson that would only allow clients […]

The Associated Press reported that mullahs in Afghanistan, which has one of the highest maternal death rates in the world, are promoting the use of birth control: Quotes were used from the Quran to promote breast-feeding for two years, while local religious leaders, or mullahs, joined community and health leaders to explain the importance of […]

Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration called out food companies for misleading nutrition labeling. Seventeen companies received a letter on their health claims, including baby-food makers Gerber and Beech-Nut and fruit juice purveyor POM Wonderful. The FDA also targeted companies that claimed their foodstuffs had no trans fat even though these products were high in […]

In Oklahoma, where the budget gap equals 15 percent of the state budget, Democratic lawmakers are blocking a budget agreement because it doesn’t pay for a nutrition program for senior citizens. Republicans warn that the stalemate will result in state trooper and prison guard furloughs, but Democrats say Republicans can find another way to free […]

A new study has found that, despite all the conservative hand-wringing over the decline in marriage, most couples who live together before marriage eventually get married. Two-thirds of marriages last 10 years, though that depends a lot on the couple: The factors that determine whether a marriage lasts have stayed the same over the past […]

A former champion of No Child Left Behind has written a book criticizing the policy as a failure, especially because it relies on standardized testing. Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch also says school choice is a bad idea: “There should not be an education marketplace, there should not be competition,” Ravitch says. “Schools operate […]

Dana Golstein interviewed the new president of Emily’s List, the group that raises money for progressive female candidates, about the dearth of women in political office. While Stephanie Schriock says that women aren’t obligated to vote for women who run for office, she points out the stark numbers showing just how important it is to […]

A sheriff in Lawrence County, Arkansas, is working to collect $500,000 in unpaid court fees from those previously convicted of felonies, according to an Associated Press story. If they don’t pay, they could be jailed. This type of push by local and state courts began a year ago. The New York Times reported a story […]

As part of his effort to reform the way government contracts are rewarded, Obama plans to favor companies that offer higher wages and better benefits packages in government contracts, reports the New York Times. It would also reinstate controls started by Clinton and rolled back by Bush that prevent the government from doing business with […]