The Conversation

America's religious communities are divided over the issue of abortion: 5 essential reads

Written by Kalpana Jain, Senior Religion + Ethics Editor

Abortion rights advocates demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2021, in Washington, D.C.AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

Since the first indications that the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, following a leaked draft opinion on May 2, 2022, religious leaders from many denominations have been working to...

State courts from Oregon to Georgia will now decide who – if anyone – can get an abortion under 50 different state constitutions

Written by Stefanie Lindquist, Foundation Professor of Law and Political Science, Arizona State University

Temporary security fencing surrounds the U.S. Supreme Court building, ahead of its decision on abortion.Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Supreme Court’s denial of abortion rights under the federal constitution is leading pro-choice advocates to seek other legal pathways to protect reproductive rights.

Just one week after the...

Roe overturned: What you need to know about the Supreme Court abortion decision

Written by Linda C. McClain, Professor of Law, Boston University

A half-century of reproduction rights upended by the Supreme Court.Brandon Bell/Getty Images

After half a century, Americans’ constitutional right to get an abortion has been overturned by the Supreme Court.

The ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization – handed down on June 24, 2022 – has far-reaching...

5 tips for parents of new kindergartners who are younger than their classmates

Written by Gregory Fabiano, Professor of Psychology, Florida International University

In kindergarten, it can be apparent to teachers and parents alike that some students are younger than others.AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

A good kindergarten experience sets kids up for success in school and into adulthood. Students in smaller kindergarten classes are more likely to go to college than students from larger classes. And by age 27,...

Google's powerful AI spotlights a human cognitive glitch: Mistaking fluent speech for fluent thought

Written by Kyle Mahowald, Assistant Professor of Linguistics, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts

Words can have a powerful effect on people, even when they're generated by an unthinking machine.iStock via Getty Images

When you read a sentence like this one, your past experience tells you that it’s written by a thinking, feeling human. And, in this case, there is indeed a human typing these words: [Hi, there!] But these days, some...

Misinformation will be rampant when it comes to COVID-19 shots for young children – here's what you can do to counter it

Written by Jaime Sidani, Assistant Professor of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences

Talking about vaccines with trusted health care providers and with family can help wade through the sea of information – and misinformation. Morsa Images/DigitalVison via Getty Images

When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for all children ages 6 months to 5 years on...

How do painkillers actually kill pain? From ibuprofen to fentanyl, it's about meeting the pain where it's at

Written by Rebecca Seal, Associate Professor of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences

A variety of pain-relieving drugs are available both over the counter and by prescription.SelectStock/Vetta via Getty Images

Without the ability to feel pain, life is more dangerous. To avoid injury, pain tells us to use a hammer more gently, wait for the soup to cool or put on gloves in a snowball fight. Those with rare inherited disorders that...

Wealth of nations: Why some are rich, others are poor – and what it means for future prosperity

Written by Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Distinguished Professor and Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, Rochester Institute of Technology

What makes a nation wealthy?Getty Images

Why are some nations rich and others poor? Can the governments of poor nations do something to ensure that their nations become rich? These sorts of questions have long fascinated public officials and economists, at least since Adam Smith, the prominent Scottish economist whose famous 1776 book was titled...

Helping Afghanistan after earthquake will be hard: 3 questions answered

Written by Mohammad Qadam Shah, Assistant Professor of Global Development, Seattle Pacific University

Afghan children stand near a house that was destroyed in an earthquake on June 22, 2022.AP Photo

Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquake in more than two decades took place on June 22, 2022, killing more than 1,000 people and injuring at least 1,600. The disaster struck a remote mountainous region and came at a time when millions of Afghans are...

Federal gas tax holiday: Biden says it will provide ‘a little bit of relief’ – but experts say even that may be a stretch

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Senior Lecturer in Markets, Public Policy and Law, Questrom School of Business, Boston University

Gas prices are at record highs. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

President Joe Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax to “bring families just a little bit of relief” as average gasoline prices exceed US$5 a gallon. The tax is 18.4 cents on regular gasoline and 24.4 cents on diesel. Biden’s proposal would rescind both taxes...