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Global Mask Treasure Hunt Ensues Amid Rapid COVID-19 Spread
By Elena Delella, Associate Editor As of April 7th, 2020, the number of confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases has risen to 1,280,000, while the global death toll has reached 72,780. COVID-19’s rapid spread has led to a global scramble for personal protective equipment (PPE). N-95 masks are one specific type of PPE that is hardest to find. These masks and other PPE are so difficult to obtain that the French are referring to the global race as “guerre des masques” – the war of the masks. Countries are not the only opponents in this war. Individuals are also fighting to amass masks as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the…
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Liberty, Equality, Paternity? France Divided Over Pending IVF Legislation
By Brenna Mason, Associate Editor On October 6, 2019, thousands of people took to the streets of Paris to protest a French bill that would make in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) treatment available to women regardless of their relationship status or sexual orientation. The bill is the largest social issue President Emmanuel Macron has placed on his agenda since taking office in 2017. However, the subject matter of the proposed legislation has divided the country along moral and political lines. Under current French law, IVF treatment is only legal for heterosexual couples who have been married or in a civil union for at least two years and have been deemed infertile by a…