The evolving relationship between conservative states and access to contraception.

Poor access to contraception can lead to several undesired health outcomes, including high rates of unintended pregnancy, high rates of teen pregnancy, spontaneous preterm delivery, preeclampsia and maternal death. Properly addressing these public health issues often require a coordinated response at the state government level. States with conservative legislatures have traditionally fought attempts to expand access to contraception.

Is Acute Care-Oriented Research Ethical in Resource-Limited Settings?

In this case scenario, a medical student, Jenny, is conducting congenital heart disease research in a resource-limited setting faced with water insecurity. She has concerns about how ethical it is for her to conduct advanced clinical research in a region with more basic health needs. The first commentary argues that advanced clinical research in resource-limited settings follows the ethical principle of beneficence and interactional justice but violates the principle of distributive justice.

The Historical Development of Obstetric Anesthesia and Its Contributions to Perinatology.

Scottish obstetrician James Young Simpson first introduced the use of ether and chloroform anesthesia for labor in 1847, just 1 year after William Morton's first successful public demonstration of ether anesthesia at the Massachusetts General Hospital. The contemporaneous development of surgical anesthesia and obstetrics enabled obstetric anesthesia to address the pain of childbirth. Shortly after its introduction, obstetricians raised concerns regarding placental transport, or the idea that drugs not only crossed the placenta, but exerted detrimental effects on the neonate.