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Kansas Becomes Central Battleground In Abortion-Rights Debate
Kansas has become "perhaps the fiercest battleground" in the abortion-rights debate with mass protests, prosecutions, lawsuits and the recent murder of abortion provider George Tiller, the AP/Washington Post reports. Kansas State University political scientist Joe Aistrup said, "There"s a very prominent vein in Kansas politics that tends toward moral righteousness." He said that this contributes to that unending debate and has produced extremists on both sides of the issue in the state.Peter Brownlie, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, said that the majority of those who maintain the intense debate on abortion rights are political leaders. "There is a very clear and growing gap between the general public and the political leaders who are committed to this being such a constant and volatile issue," he said. Brownlie added that on issues relating to abortion, sex education and family planning, "Kansans" views are not markedly different from most Americans, but there are political forces at work, some of them well beyond the state borders."The Post reports that Kansas is different than most states where either supporters or foes of abortion rights dominate. According to the AP/Post, Kansas often sways between having key lawmakers who support abortion rights and those who oppose them. For example, a Republican-dominated Legislature over the past six years passed several bills to restrict abortion access, but much of the legislation was vetoed by former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D). The result has triggered frustration in groups opposing abortion rights, and they continue to feed widespread opposition to abortion in the state, the AP/Post reports.According to Burdett Loomis, a University of Kansas political science professor, there even is a split among Kansas Republicans in regard to abortion rights, as some Republicans in the state are evangelical Christians who oppose abortion rights, while others are moderates who support such rights. He said the split "might pop out in gun laws, home schooling, evolution, but it starts and stops with abortion" (Crary/Hanna, AP/Washington Post, 6/3).Wall Street Journal Examines Abortions Later in PregnancyIn related news, the Wall Street Journal on Thursday examined how Tiller"s clinic in Kansas became a battleground in the abortion-rights debate particularly because some of his patients were in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. According to the Journal, even though the subject of abortion later in pregnancy is the of "a deep cultural divide," both sides agree that it is "anguishing." Fewer than 1% of all abortions in the U.S. are performed in the second or third trimesters, and most states prohibit abortions late in pregnancy but include exceptions for the woman"s life and health.The Journal reports that abortion procedures performed later in pregnancy often carry increased health risks, are more expensive and are emotional. The Guttmacher Institute reports that 8.9 maternal deaths occur during every 100,000 abortions performed later in pregnancy, compared with 7.1 deaths per 100,000 births. The article also profiled women who chose to undergo abortions later in pregnancy at Tiller"s clinic, as well as arguments from abortion-rights opponents (Simon, Wall Street Journal, 6/4).

Robotic Ferret Will Detect Hidden Drugs And Weapons
A new type of robot being developed will make it easier to detect drugs, weapons, explosives and illegal immigrants concealed in cargo containers.
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CSC Cited As A Leading Technology Provider In Celent Insurance Software Study
CSC (NYSE: CSC) today announced that it has been named a leading technology provider in multiple categories of Celent"s 2009 Insurance Software Deal Trends study, published in two editions. Celent, a financial services technology research and advisory firm, reported in the Life/Health Edition that CSC is the leader in Life, Health and Annuity Core Processing with 56 percent of the deals in 2007 and 2008, as well as a leader in Life, Health and Annuity Infrastructure and Accounting. In addition, Celent identified CSC in the Property/Casualty Edition as a leader in Property and Casualty (P&C) Core Processing and P&C Distribution.
Health Insurance

Boston Scientific Launches Third-Generation Platinum Chromium Drug-Eluting Stent

Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) announced the launch of the platinum chromium TAXUS(R) Element(TM) Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System in select markets worldwide. The TAXUS Element Stent features a new platinum chromium alloy engineered specifically for coronary stent applications and represents the Company"s third-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) technology. The Element Stent series consists of three distinct versions: the Paclitaxel-Eluting TAXUS Element Stent, the Everolimus-Eluting PROMUS(R) Element(TM) Stent and the bare-metal Element Stent(1). All three versions of the Element Stent are built on the advanced platinum chromium platform and are designed to provide interventional cardiologists improved performance in treating patients with complex coronary artery disease. The Company is anticipating CE Mark approval for both the TAXUS Element Stent and the PROMUS Element Stent Systems in the fourth quarter of this year. The platinum chromium alloy used in the Element Stent System was engineered specifically for coronary stenting, delivering both strength and flexibility. The Element Stent System platform also features a new stent architecture with thinner struts, increased flexibility and a lower profile, designed to improve radial strength, recoil and angiographic visibility. Deliverability to complex lesions is further enhanced through the incorporation of a new highly deliverable dilatation catheter technology. "It is particularly important to have a range of options when selecting the right treatment for patients with challenging coronary lesions," said Dean J. Kereiakes, M.D., Medical Director at The Christ Hospital Heart and Vascular Center and The Lindner Research Center in Cincinnati, Ohio and a principal investigator for the TAXUS PERSEUS clinical trial evaluating the TAXUS Element Stent. "The Element Stent series is intended to provide a full range of DES solutions for interventional cardiologists, giving them the option to treat patients with a paclitaxel, everolimus or bare-metal stent. In my experience, the TAXUS Element Stent is a highly deliverable and conformable platform that has the potential to simplify complex procedures and improve outcomes." "Our platinum chromium Element Stent series represents a significant leap forward in drug-eluting stent innovation," said David McFaul, Boston Scientific Senior Vice President, International. "This breakthrough technology combines a new alloy designed for coronary stenting, an innovative stent design and a new delivery system." The TAXUS Element Stent System is currently being studied in the PERSEUS clinical trial program, which compares the TAXUS Element Stent System to the TAXUS(R) Express2(R) Stent System. The program includes the PERSEUS Workhorse and the PERSEUS Small Vessel arms. Both have finished recruiting patients and are estimated to be completed by the end of the year. The PROMUS Element Stent System is currently being studied in the PLATINUM clinical trial program, which compares the PROMUS Element Stent System to the PROMUS(R) Stent System, and is actively enrolling patients in the U.S., Europe and Japan. While the Element Stent platform represents Boston Scientific"s third-generation DES technology, the Company"s fourth-generation DES is currently under development. Initial clinical data were presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics scientific symposium in 2008; global pivotal trials are expected to begin in 2010. This DES employs the Labcoat technology, which has an ultra thin biodegradable abluminal polymer that delivers a very low dose of paclitaxel to the wall of the treated vessel, and no polymer or drug on the inner surface of the stent. Integrating the Element Stent architecture and a platinum chromium alloy with an optimized drug release, the "Labcoat Element" Stent(2) is designed to deliver a powerful combination of procedural and clinical performance. In the United States, the TAXUS Element Stent and PROMUS Element Stent are investigational devices and are limited by applicable law to investigational use only and are not available for sale. The PROMUS Stent is a private-labeled Xience V(R) Everolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent System manufactured by Abbott and distributed by Boston Scientific. Xience V is a trademark of the Abbott Laboratories group of companies. Boston Scientific is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices whose products are used in a broad range of interventional medical specialties. Boston Scientific Corporation


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