Is there too much conscientious objection in Canada?
The January issue of the journal Bioethics deals with conscientious objection, with an emphasis on the situation in Canada. The January issue of the journal...
French Panel recommends legalization of euthanasia
A panel of French citizens set up by the National Consultative Ethics Committee has recommended that the government legalize euthanasia for terminally ill patients. A...
Mourning ends. Analysis begins.
Should Nelson Mandela have received special treatment?Now that the time of mourning for Madiba – South Africa’s hero of liberation from apartheid, Nelson Mandela –...
Belgian doctor gets major grant for services to euthanasia
Wim Distelmans get a major award from his university Belgium has often come under fire in the international media over its regime of legalised euthanasia....
Hug your neighbourhood bioethicist
Hi there, Sometimes, I must confess, bioethical debates can become tedious and in my darker moods I wonder whether the whole shebang is worthwhile. It’s...
Belgian Senate approves child euthanasia
The outcome was expected, but overseas observers were astonished at the margin of victory. By a vote of 50 to 17, the Belgian Senate has...
Campaign for ‘fertility equality’ begins in Israel
On Wednesday Israeli Health minister Yael German announced her plans to liberalize her country’s fertility law. Amongst her sweeping reforms, German wants to allow same-sex...
Patient sues US Catholic Bishop’s Conference
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing the US Catholic Bishops Conference (USCBC) for hampering the care of a pregnant woman in one of...
Scrap “luxury journal” system, says Nobel Prize winner
One of the recipients of this year’s Nobel Prize for Medicine has used it as a platform for a blistering attack on the whole system...
Calls for Virginia to compensate sterilization victims
Pressure is mounting on legislators in Virginia to compensate victims of its forced sterilization policy in the early years of the last century. Pressure is...
New details surface in UK forced delivery case
A number of important facts have come to light in the case of Alessandra Pacchieri, an Italian woman subject to a forced caesarean when visiting...
The tragedy of the lobotomized GIs
Sometimes it’s good to remind yourself that bioethicists are good guys to have around if your doctor is thinking about using you as a guinea...