By Rose Bowen
Last week, JAMA Internal Medicine published an article detailing the findings of an investigation into the effects that state policies have on organ donation and transplantation in the United States. Using data from 1988-2010, the researchers found that the majority of state policies promoting voluntary organ donation are ineffective at reducing the current organ shortage, one of our nation’s biggest public health concerns. According to the study, 124,000 …

By Kaitlyn Schaeffer
Yesterday, the California Senate passed the End-of-Life Option Act by a vote of 23 to 14. The bill, if it garners approval from the Assembly and Governor Jerry Brown, will make it legal for California residents with terminal illnesses to end their lives with doctor-prescribed medication.
The bill was modeled after Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act.
While assisted death has long been a subject of debate among Californians, Brittany Maynard …

By Remy Servis
This week, doctors at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas completed the world’s first partial skull and scalp transplant on Jim Boysen, a 55-year-old man from Austin. Since receiving a kidney-pancreas transplant 23 years ago, Mr. Boysen has been taking immunosuppressants to prevent rejection of the new organs. These drugs, while crucial to the quality of Mr. Boysen’s health after the initial transplant, began to affect the smooth muscle …