Foetal skin heals child burns patients
Skin taken from an aborted child has been used by Swiss doctors to create grafts for paediatric burns. In an article in The Lancet, researchers...
Stem cell research developments
Scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh and Milan have created the world's first pure nerve stem cells from embryonic stem cells. "This is incredibly exciting...
IN BRIEF: chlamydia; Illinois contraceptives; mercy killing in Iraq
Chlamydia: British fertility expert Lord Robert Winston has questioned whether the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia is responsible for an increasing number of infertile couples. He...
Dutch euthanasia study flawed, says US bioethicist
A study of Dutch euthanasia in the Archives of Internal Medicine has found that doctors follow the reporting requirements prescribed under Dutch law. The results...
German doctor may be tried for involuntary euthanasia
A woman doctor in Germany has been charged with second-degree murder after the alleged involuntary euthanasia of eight of her cancer patients. Prosecutors said that...
Slaves, animals: what’s the difference?
The powerful lobby group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is reconsidering its use of posters which compare animal abuse with black slavery. PETA's...
Mentally disabled woman fights forced sterilisation
A 26-year-old mentally disabled Illinois woman is fighting attempts by her guardian to have her sterilised against her will. The woman, Kirsten Johnson, cannot care...
Embryos could be screened for cancer risk as adults
The British fertility authority is to consult the public about the possibility of allowing embryos to be screened for genes which carry an increased risk...
US researcher working on artificial womb
Artificial wombs are a possible but distant solution to infertility, says an IVF researcher who has created them for mice. Dr Hung-Chin Liu, of Cornell...
IN BRIEF: paternity discrepancy; organ trafficking
Amongst the consequences of rising levels of genetic testing is the unwelcome revelation of "paternal discrepancy" -- or the disclosure that a person's father is...
Belgian doctor accused of five nursing home murders
A Belgian doctor has admitted killing five nursing home patients with injections of morphine, but insists that he did it out of compassion. The newspaper...
Michael Schiavo honoured as “guardian of the year”
The Florida association of the court-appointed guardians who make end-of-life decisions for unconscious patients has named Michael Schiavo Guardian of the Year for carrying out...