We’re not prepared for the genetic revolution that’s coming
Even the well-educated amongst us have poor genetic knowledgeWhen humans’ genetic information (known as the genome) was mapped 15 years ago, it promised to change...
Vatican-backed hospital proposes charter of rights for incurable children
Reaction to controversial Alfie Evans case The cases of Alfie Evans and Charlie Gard rang bells around the world, not just in England. From Italy...
Ireland chooses
Ireland, which was once Europe’s most socially conservative nation, has voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment to its constitution in order to permit abortion. The...
Ireland votes to legalise abortion
Two-thirds supported an historic change Ireland has legalised abortion by repealing the Eighth Amendment to its constitution. Turnout was strong, with about 60% of the...
Head of Dignitas charged with profiting from assisted suicide
First case of its kind in Switzerland The founder of Switzerland’s best-known assisted suicide group, Dignitas, 85-year-old Ludwig Minelli, has been charged with profiting from...
‘Sugar War’ pits consumer choice against common good
US expert calls for restrictions on sugar in foods In the 17th Century the Dutch Republic and Portugal fought a forgotten war lasting more than...
May doctors refuse IVF to LGBT individuals?
Is it only Christians who take refuge in conscientious objection? Rows over conscientious objection, at least in the Anglosphere, have revolved around reproductive rights and...
May prisoners be used in clinical research?
Shusaku Endo may be the greatest Japanese novelist who didn’t win the Nobel Prize. He is best known in the West for his novel Silence,...
Is salt bad for you? Let’s feed prisoners low-salt food and see
Researchers enter fraught area of clinical research A group of medical researchers has proposed a clinical trial in American prisons to test whether too much...
Guernsey rejects assisted suicide
Back door closed for right-to-die methods in the United Kingdom A back door to assisted suicide and euthanasia in the United Kingdom has been closed....
US states could use nitrogen to execute prisoners
If it works for underground assisted suicide networks, why not in prisons? Underground methods of illegal assisted suicide could be used as a model for...
Nuffield Council releases study of AI in healthcare
Serious ethical issues emerge AI in healthcare is developing rapidly, with many applications currently in use or in development in the UK and worldwide. The...