Australia grants patent to disgraced Korean scientist
Truth and utility are not factors
Australia has granted a patent for cloning to the disgraced South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk. This will protect the technique he used in experiments in which he had claimed to have cloned human embryos. Although Hwang had faked his results, he and his supporters have always insisted that his technique for cloning was workable. He applied for patents in 10 countries, but so far only Australia has granted one.
Although Hwang’s friends see this as a step towards vindication of his controversial work, Australian patent laws are less rigorous than many other countries. Australia only requires that an invention be new, inventive, fully described and adequately defined. It does not have to work and its supporting data need not be true. ~ Nature News, Oct 1
- How long can you put off seeing the doctor because of lockdowns? - December 3, 2021
- House of Lords debates assisted suicide—again - October 28, 2021
- Spanish government tries to restrict conscientious objection - October 28, 2021
More Stories
China accused of sequencing Tibetan and Uyghur DNA to supply organ transplant market
A committee of the US Congress has heard shocking testimony about alleged forced organ harvesting from Uyghurs and Falun Gong...
European Parliament describes surrogacy as a form of human trafficking
The European Parliament has described “the exploitation of surrogacy” as a form of human trafficking in a legislative resolution on...
‘Forced surrogacy’ reported in the UK
A British charity working with victims of modern slavery has reported that it had received three reports of “forced surrogacy” for the...
We should react to atrocities in Gaza, says bioethicists
The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is creating tensions within the bioethics community. In an article in the...
Quadriplegic Quebec man chooses assisted dying rather than live with bedsores
A quadriplegic Quebec man has chosen assisted dying because of a bedsore he acquired when a hospital failed to give...
Transgender medicine critic Hilary Cass given police protection
The author of the recent review of Britain’s gender identity services for children and young people has told The Times (of London)...