Parents should talk to their children about avoiding alcohol long before they try that first drink. But how? Some scripts and talking points could make the task easier.

The Philadelphia abortion provider was found guilty of three charges of first-degree murder for illegal late-term abortions he performed at his clinic. He faces a possible death sentence.

SARS burst on the scene in 2003 after one man infected travelers staying on the same floor of a Hong Kong hotel. Now that a new virus with similarities to SARS has spread from person to person, public health officials are urging hospitals to be on guard.

Each year, an estimated 150,000 people in the Southwest contract valley fever. But doctors say they understand little about the fungal disease. There is no cure and no vaccine. Most cases are misdiagnosed or missed entirely.

Brazil's economic boom has driven the demand for births by caesarean section. Some 80 to 90 percent of women in private hospitals deliver this way. Proponents say it allows mothers and doctors to better organize their time. Critics say the procedure drives up costs and may cause complications.

How much hospitals around the country bill for 100 top procedures became public this week. Though insurance or Medicare may not actually pay the sticker price, some hospitals in Alaska are considering how they'll respond to more knowledgeable consumers.

Iin denying the government's motion for a stay, U.S. District Court Judge Korman, who has overseen the case since 2005, also laid out several substantive problems with the situation that last week's approval by the Food and Drug Administration created.

To test a common theory about the cause of autism, researchers recently studied how kids with autism process moving images. They found that the kids saw simple movements twice as fast as their typically developing peers.

A company that got its start assessing the risks of ocean-going vessels now checks U.S. hospitals for quality. Known as DNV, the firm is bringing competition to an area of health care that obsesses insiders yet is little known by patients.

Scientists used to think that identical twins turned out differently because they were treated differently by friends, teachers or their parents. A study of mice supports the idea that small changes in behavior can lead to larger ones and eventually even resculpt brains in different ways.