NEWSLETTER 20140927
Hi there, As you probably know, we have been conducting a survey of our readers. It closes on Monday. If you’d like to participate, please...
Does prisoner euthanasia make sense?
Dr Philip Nitschke, Australia’s leading advocate for euthanasia and assisted suicide, was recently suspended (but not deregistered) after his involvement in the suicide of a...
Mexico, the new surrogacy hotspot
With India and Thailand, the destination of choice for people seeking surrogate mothers, closing their doors to foreigners, where has the market gone? Surrogate mothers...
Genetic testing backfires
You cannot possibly improve on this headline: “With genetic testing, I gave my parents the gift of divorce”. You cannot possibly improve on this headline:...
When doctors suffer from VIP syndrome
The unexpected death of American comedienne Joan Rivers may have been an example of the baneful effects of the “VIP syndrome”. The unexpected death of...
US doctors update gamete donation guidelines
IVF doctors have updated guidelines for gamete donation in the light of a growing recognition that offspring have a right to their genetic heritage. After...
Debate over history of US Christian bioethics
One of the puzzling features of bioethics is that its “founders” were nearly all Christians, but Christian bioethics has become a marginal interest. Why? One...
A more elegant solution
An elderly Belgian man and wife are preparing to be euthanized together. They explain why in a startling interview. An elderly Belgian man and wife...
Are bioethicists more ethical than the rest of us?
Hi there, Are bioethicists more ethical than the rest of us? I’m not aware of data about bioethicists as such. However, some research has been...
Defending human dignity
English barrister and medical ethicist Charles Foster has penned defence of “human dignity” as the foundation of bioethics in the Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics....
Ebola in West Africa: the stakes rise
Wrapped into US President Barack Obama’s speech on the threat posed by ISIS in the Middle East was a commitment to send the US Army...
The ethics of running scared
It’s all very well to sit in an armchair and bloviate about Ebola. If you are a doctor or a nurse or a hospital cleaner...