After 23 years, BioEdge ceased published in May 2024. Not that there isn’t lots to report on and talk about, but our resources proved insufficient to move forward in an increasingly competitive environment.

We began publication in 2001, smack in the middle of the controversy over embryonic stem cells. The mainstream media was full of news about promising new developments — based mostly on press releases from scientists working with human embryos. BioEdge was able to give a perspective on the debate which honoured the dignity of the embryonic human being.

And the debates never stopped. Bioethics, despite its austere and slightly nerdy public profile, is a battlefield. Although it seems a merely academic pursuit, it deals with what are, literally, life-and-death issues. Euthanasia, assisted suicide, surrogacy, transgender medicine, IVF, public health and genetic engineering are just a few of the controversial areas.

It was unfortunate that New Media Foundation was forced to shutter the publication. But the site will remain live until about 2028 so that readers and researchers can access the archives.

Michael Cook
Editor