A group of medical experts has endorsed a new diet drug to combat obesity, recommending it to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval later this year. But some say that the health risks associated with the drug, Qnexa, are greater than any weight-loss benefit it may provide.

In a clinical trial involving 4,323 people, participants lost an average of 10 percent of their total body weight in the first year of using Qnexa, and some saw improvements in blood pressure as well.

Related: The 8 most obese cities in America

But less than two years ago, the same panel of experts decided that Qnexa was too dangerous to put on the market, since it had a documented history of causing heart problems and birth defects.

What made them change their minds?

Turns out it was a simple promise and a plan: The drug's manufacturer, Vivus Inc., agreed to keep a close eye on patients who are prescribed Qnexa, making them take monthly pregnancy tests (to avoid the possibility of birth defects)

Given the intense focus on women's reproductive health issues and contraception lately, it's refreshing to see a lawmaker propose legislation that affects guys.

In Georgia, as members of the state House of Representative debate a bill that would send people to prison for performing abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy, Democratic freshman state representative Yasmin Neal has offered up a bill that prohibits vasectomies.

"Thousands of children are deprived of birth in this state every year because of the lack of state regulation over vasectomies," House Bill 116 states. "There is substantial evidence that unregulated vasectomies result in fewer unwanted pregnancies and, by extension, fewer births. It is patently unfair that men can avoid the rewards of unwanted fatherhood by presuming that their judgement over such matters is more valid than the judgement of the General Assembly."

Predictably, Neal's bill has caused an uproar -- mostly among Republicans who have worked

The four Republican presidential hopefuls debate the issues Wednesday night in Arizona. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Here's a look at what's happened recently in the world of politics.

Santorum struggles during Arizona debate

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney opened Wednesday night's debate in Arizona by criticizing former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum about his record in Congress.

Romney pointed out that Santorum had voted to fund Planned Parenthood and the Department of Education and voted to raise the debt ceiling five times, among other things. Santorum later accused Romney of being the inspiration behind President Barack Obama's Affordable Health Act, and pointed out that Romney supported the Wall Street bailout but not the TARP auto industry bailout.



While discussing the recent contraception coverage controversy, Santorum reiterated his belief that birth control is "dangerous" for women, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich accused President Obama of "legalizing infanticide" before warning that government-mandated coverage for contraception was a step toward totalitarianism.

How much sleep do you really need?Parents might feel like they forgo sleep as soon as they bring their baby home, but the longest any person has gone without sleep(on purpose) has been 11 straight days.

There were a few side effects.

Randy Gardner was a 17-year-old high school student in California when he decided to avoid sleeping for 264 hours in a row. It was 1964, and, according to researchers, he ended up suffering from memory problems, paranoia, and hallucinations because of it. Other studies have linked sleep deprivation in mice to the development of characteristics associated with Alzheimer's disease, and some have shown that chronic sleep loss may cause obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, and diabetes among human and animal test subjects alike.

Sleeping helps our brains develop and make neurological connections, bolsters our immune systems, consolidates memories, process information and helps our bodies heal. According to a 2011 National Sleep Foundation poll, 43 percent of American say

Should unborn children have full legal rights?Last week, the Virginia House of Delegates passed House Bill 1 (HB1), which grants unborn children "at every stage of development… all of the rights, privileges, and immunities available to other persons, citizens, and residents of the Commonwealth." And in Oklahoma, the state senate voted 38-4 to pass Senate Bill 1433 (S.B. 1433), changing the state's definition of the word "person" to include unborn children "from the moment of conception." While backers of the bills insist they don't restrict abortion, stem-cell research, or contraception, opponents warn that the bills erode women's reproductive rights and could have far-reaching consequences.

What do these bills really mean for women?

The Virginia bill now heads to that state's Senate for debate; if it passes in the Senate, governor Robert McDonnell has said that he would consider the bill, but did not promise to sign it or to veto it. The Oklahoma bill now goes to the state's House, where there are more than twice as many

The popular Spinbrush may cause injuries, the FDA warns.Popular battery-powered "spinning" toothbrushes may do more harm than good, chipping teeth, slashing gums, and causing facial injuries instead of merely keeping cavities at bay.

In a statement issued Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that pieces of the Arm & Hammer brand Spinbrush (known as the Crest Spinbrush until 2009) could detach, causing a choking hazard and injuries to the face and mouth.

"It's important that consumers know how to avoid the risks associated with using the Spinbrush," Shumaya Ali, M.P.H., a consumer safety officer at the Food and Drug Administration, said in the statement. "We've had reports in which parts of the toothbrush broke off during use and were released into the mouth with great speed, causing broken teeth and presenting a choking hazard."

Related: Tips for getting your child to brush his or her teeth

Though the warning specifically involves all versions of the adult and child-size Spinbrush, the FDA says that any electric

Are pets really safe when they fly?More pets died on Delta flights last year than on any other airline, a government report reveals. But a closer look at the records shows that the pets' owners may have been as much to blame as the airline.

The report, issued each year by the U.S. Department of Transportation, shows that 19 of the 35 air-travel-related pet deaths in 2011 took place in the baggage holds of Delta planes, up from 16 in 2010. Five pets were also injured on Delta last year, more than on any other airline.

Related: 5 tricky pet problems, solved

"The loss of any pet is unacceptable to us," Delta spokesman Anthony Black told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "We are working to improve the processes and procedures to ensure that every pet arrives safely at its destination." Delta pointed out that it transports more pets than many other airlines (some, like Southwest and AirTran, don't allow pets to travel in the cargo hold at all), and that less than 0.2 percent of pets that fly Delta have been injured or

One out of 12 marriages in the U.S. are interracial, new research shows.Interracial marriage in the United States has hit an all-time high, a new study suggests, with a record 1 in 12 marriages taking place between people from different racial backgrounds.

"The rise in interracial marriage indicates that race relations have improved over the past quarter century," Daniel Lichter, a sociology professor at Cornell University, told The Associated Press. "Mixed-race children have blurred America's color line. They often interact with others on either side of the racial divide and frequently serve as brokers between friends and family members of different racial backgrounds."

Related: Would you date outside your race? The differences between men and women

But America still has a long way to go. Less than six months ago, a Kentucky church voted to ban interracial marriages and prevent mixed-race couples from becoming members (the congregation later voted to overturn the ban). Anti-miscegenation laws criminalizing interracial marriage were on the books in many