Sarah Kliff

Last week, the Democrats and Republicans waged a fierce, albeit brief, war over the Medicare buy-in, a possible concession to liberals for dropping the public option.

As predicted, the Nelson amendment on abortion failed to pass the Senate today, tabled with a vote of 54-45. Probably the most interesting votes were those of Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, who both voted to table Nelson's abortion restrictions.In my post earlier this morning, explaining why this debate did not matter, I got a little bit ahead of myself (and of congressional proceedings), when I put the critical juncture in this debate in conference committee.

The Senate is now debating one of health-care reform's most controversial provisions: Ben Nelson's abortion amendment. The language of Nelson's amendment, introduced yesterday, mirrors the strong restrictions of the Stupak amendment and bars plans traded on the government exchange from covering elective abortions.

Another blow to the gay-rights movement today, as the New York State Senate voted down a gay marriage bill, 38–24. This, of course, comes on the heels of last month's defeat of a ballot measure in Maine and, stretching back further in time, the Prop 8's denial of gay marriage in California.

While the Senate toned down the House's language on abortion restrictions, it may have ratcheted things up with another controversial reproductive-health issue: abstinence-only education.

Another day, another development in the debate over abortion in health-care reform. This time, it's a swing in favor of the abortion-rights side: pro-life Democrat Sens.

The Mormon church is supporting gay rights. Sound a little suspicious? That has been the read around the blogosphere as of late, after the Church of Latter-day Saints announced Wednesday that it would support a Salt Lake City ordinance barring housing and workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.

When Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards addressed a private phone call of bloggers yesterday, she had to apologize for her hoarse voice: "I've spent the last few days yelling at members of Congress." Richards, alongside other liberal pro-abortion rights groups, has launched an all-out war on the Stupak amendment, the anti-abortion rights provision approved by the House in Saturday's health-care vote.

Should health-care reform require insurers to cover chiropractors? Acupuncturists? Yoga? Spiritual healers? These are the questions raised by a recently noticed health-care amendment requiring insurers to consider covering "religious and spiritual health care." The amendment, covered in this article, comes with backing from Senate heavyweights like Orrin Hatch, John Kerry, and the late Ted Kennedy.

While gay-rights activists mourn their loss in Maine, they should not discount the projected victory of Referendum 71 in Washington state. If the measure passes, the Evergreen State will be the first to approve gay equality by direct will of the people, rather than the court or legislature.

It's been a mainstay of sex ed for more than a decade. Now, as the Obama administration cuts off federal funding, the movement scrambles for money, determined to continue its mission.  

Abigail Pogrebin found a singular identity while being part of a pair. A conversation.

Women pay more than men for similar insurance policies. Is it discrimination?

File this one under "most unexpected side effect": birth-control pills both lower a woman's attractiveness and inhibit her ability to choose a good mate. That's the claim put forward by a study in this month's Trends in Ecology and Evolution.

It's a conflict in which no word is without meaning, and both sides examine each one for clues.

How intuition worked to free Jaycee Dugard—and why it took so long for someone to speak up.

The emergency contraception drug goes generic but still remains out of reach for many women.

Michael Jackson's death took a bizarre turn this afternoon when the Los Angeles County Coroner's office announced it'd found the anesthetic propofol, usually used in general surgery, and two other sedatives to have caused the singer's death in June.

"People can't comprehend…why I'm not worried." That's just one of the many pearls of wisdom dispensed by Nadya Suleman on last night's Octomom: The Incredible Unseen Footage.

When I watched an abortion for the first time, my reaction surprised me.

How 'Esquire' got it wrong.

LeRoy Carhart is determined to train as many late-term-abortion providers as possible—or the practice just might die with him.

The environment is hot—in a good way—as schools expand course offerings and majors.

by Sarah Kliff Right now, in the Museum of Modern Art's second-floor atrium, there is a pile of junk: empty toothpaste tubes, bottle caps without bottles, used Styrofoam containers, slivers of soap.

Before 'Jon & Kate plus Eight,' there were the Pisner quintuplets. As they've grown, so has our mania for multiples.

But for abortion providers, his death may have been less a shock and more a reminder of the grave risks they face everyday. "We're sitting ducks," says Susan Wicklund, an abortion provider who runs a clinic near Bozeman, Mont.

Whether it's thinking that vitamin C can cure a cold, or that you must drink eight glasses of water a day, people cling to outdated medical lore long after it's been shown to be wrong. Here's why.

Airplanes can transport disease quickly. What governments and individuals can do to protect themselves.

Forget banning junk. Try 'X-ray vision carrots.'

It's an embarrassing confession for a journalist: I couldn't understand the news. Specifically, news about the economy. "Toxic asset"? "Liquidity"? "Insolvent bank"?