Autonomy: a short history of a big idea
Do we really need 'autonomy' to explain why people should be decently treated?“The strongest arguments in favour of physician-assisted suicide are respect for autonomy, justice,...
The fake news about female libido
How a public relations campaign made the FDA approve a bad drug“Fake news” is not the exclusive preserve of Macedonian teenagers exploiting the anxieties of...
Not a happy camper
We may have over-egged today’s newsletter with stories about surrogacy, but they all appeared this week with a common theme: what about the mothers? The...
Ms Surrogate Mother of 2002 passes away at 37
Can you love having children too much?Michael Meehan, Brooke Verity, Thomas Dysarz For a brief moment in 2002, 23-year-old Kentucky woman Brooke Verity Cochran was...
Remarkable insights in Norwegian study of India’s surrogate mothers
Anthropologist conducted interviews with commissioning parents and surrogate mothersNorwegian anthropologist Kristin Engh Førde has just completed a PhD on international commercial surrogacy in India, which...
Dust-up over a child’s right to know genetic origins
Do children really need to know? University of Ghent bioethicist Guido Pennings recently published an article in BioNews with the provocative title “Donor children do...
‘Consult the disabled before enhancing people’ disabled poet advises
The bittersweet feeling of seeing your disability disappearMost people think of dwarfism as a serious disability, but many of those who have it are proud...
Bioethicists: dust off your resumes
Now that President Donald Trump has backed out of the Paris Climate Change agreement, employment prospects for bioethicists may pick up. Let me explain. The...
Can blood transfusions from teenagers slow the ageing process?
Silicon Valley is interestedAnti-ageing technology is flourishing in Silicon Valley. The latest to hit the headlines is parabiosis – transfusions of blood or plasma from...
Controversial trial to test transhumanist theories
Is it possible to revive brain-dead patients?Killing off death will require research and clinical trials. But these may be difficult to do ethically, as a...
Hackers steal cosmetic surgery photos from Lithuanian clinic
Threats to post them on-line unless if no money is forthcomingThis stark example of how medical electronic records are vulnerable to violations of privacy comes...
British surgeon sentenced to 15 years in jail
He performed hundreds of unnecessary operations, leaving patients traumatised and disfiguredPaterson's victims react on the steps of the courthouse / BBC A British surgeon who...