Sen. Jim Bunning scrambled Monday to clean up for his seemingly cold-blooded prognosis of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “I apologize if my comments offended Justice Ginsburg,” the two-term Kentucky Republican said in a statement. “That certainly was not my intent.” The former Major League pitcher said Saturday that Ginsburg, who recently underwent surgery to remove a small tumor, has “bad cancer. The kind that you don’t get better from,” the Courier-Journal of Louisville reported. “Even though she was operated on, usually, nine months is the longest that anybody would live” with pancreatic cancer. The 75-year-old justice was back in court Monday, less than three weeks after her affliction was made public. “It is great to see her back at the Supreme Court today and I hope she recovers quickly,” the 77-year-old Bunning said. “My thoughts and prayers are with her and her family.” Bill Clinton appointed Ginsburg to the high court in 1993. She is the only woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. If Ginsburg or another justice were to leave the court, President Barack Obama would be responsible for naming her successor, who would be subject to Senate confirmation.

Justice Ginsburg had Cancer Surgery
The U.S. Supreme Court’s only woman, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, underwent surgery Thursday for pancreatic cancer, the court said in a statement. “Justice Ginsburg had no symptoms prior to the incidental discovery of the lesion during a routine annual checkup in late January at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland,” the statement said. Doctors recognized the symptoms in the early stage of the disease when a CAT scan “revealed a small tumor, approximately one centimeter across, in the center of the pancreas,” the statement said. The 75-year-old justice is resting well following a successful surgery, it said. It was unclear whether she would be ready to return when the court begins its work on Feb. 20. She also underwent surgery for colorectal cancer 10 years ago.

Few Black Women Getting HPV Vaccine
Few Black women are getting vaccinated against human papillomavirus, which can lead to cervical cancer in sexually active women, even though African Americans generally see the shots as a good thing, according to HealthDay News. In fact, only a quarter of eligible Black teens have gotten the vaccine, according to a survey by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Health, which is behind funding to find ways to increase HPV vaccination rates among high-risk populations. The results of the survey were to be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Carefree, Ariz, HealthDay reports. “The consensus among those surveyed in our study was that it would be a good, beneficial option,” Dr. Ian Frank, professor of medicine in the Infectious Diseases Division of the University of Pennsylvania, said in a news release issued by the conference sponsor. “Many of the 71 young people surveyed, most of whom were Black, were aware of the controversies but thought the vaccine was ‘safe,’ ‘effective’ and a ‘wise choice.’” Questions have swirled around whether or not it is best to administer Gardasil, the HPV vaccine. Some have questioned the effectiveness of the vaccine and potential side-effects, while others have speculated that it merely encourages young women to engage in sex.