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An anti-vaccine movement that has been amplified by the Internet and endorsed by vocal celebrities has created a persistent public fear that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism in children.
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Once virtually eradicated through routine immunization, measles and mumps are making a striking comeback in the U.S. in 2014 with a record number of post-vaccination era measles cases and several large mumps outbreaks on college campuses.
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Advance directives enabling people with advanced dementia to refuse food and water as a way of hastening death are controversial.
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The Food and Drug Administration recently held hearings on mitochondrial manipulation to determine whether additional research is needed before proceeding to clinical trials. Ethical concerns include:
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Bioethicists can advocate for improved communication with family caregivers when a patient is going to be discharged from the hospital.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) recommended in 2013 that predictive genetic testing for adult-onset disorders should not be done in children.
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Older individuals who have experience with end-of-life care of others demonstrate greater readiness to participate in advance care planning, according to a recent study.
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Patients get the specific care they want at the end of life when they document their wishes using a physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST) form, according to a recent study.
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Organ donation consent rates are significantly lower among Hispanics, blacks, and Asians compared to whites, according to recent studies.
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