Could surrogacy contracts work?
Dutch writers are sceptical The complications involved in commercial surrogacy are leading lawyers and legislators to considering regulating what they cannot forbid. As a Dutch...
European Parliament condemns Poland’s conservative stand on abortion
Resolution repeats the demands of protesters Europe is ganging up on Poland to get it to support legal abortion. On Thursday the European Parliament strongly...
Will Covid-19 dethrone ‘autonomy’ as the dominant principle of bioethics?
A number of bioethicists believe that more emphasis on solidarity is needed What will bioethics look like after Covid-19? The experience of lockdowns, social isolation,...
Have the Swiss smuggled religion into their constitution?
The 1992 referendum demands respect for the ‘dignity’ of creatures Switzerland has some of the strictest laws in the world for care of animals. Goldfish,...
Sex robots can offer the intimacy that the elderly disabled crave, says bioethicist
They are a way of helping human dignity Sex robots are needed for older people, especially older people with disabilities, according to an article in...
Serbian govt and media attack bioethicist
Defended by prominent colleagues in US and UK Prof. Vojin Rakić A leading Serbian bioethicist is being attacked by the government and media in his...
Does the autonomy principle work for substance abusers?
Relationships and empathy are far more important Autonomy is the fundamental principle of contemporary bioethics – or most of it. In moral dilemmas, the path...
Military doctors who treated Trump are caught in a web of dilemmas
If he is their Commander-in-chief, can they refuse to give him experimental drugs? President Donald Trump’s brush with Covid-19 raised a number of questions related...
Al Jonsen, bioethics pioneer, dies
Advised Ted and Bobby Kennedy about abortion A pioneer in the novel field of bioethics, Al Jonsen, died on October 21, at the age of 89....
Updating the Hippocratic Oath
An oath at the University of Pittsburgh champions diversity and being an ally with the poor and marginalisedThe Hippocratic Oath seems to be evolving faster...
Let’s return to the basics of human experience, says bioethicist
Human beings are not unconnected atomsIt’s not often that a bioethics text gets rave reviews from both Francis Fukuyama and Leon Kass. However, What It...
What factors can undermine our autonomy?
Addiction, brainwashing, trauma or fatigue, obviously. Any others? The argument for assisted suicide and euthanasia rests squarely on the doctrine of autonomy. As The Economist...