Direct-to-consumer genetic testing is booming, but ethical concerns remain
Ethicists still have their reservations. In a little over a decade, genetic testing company 23andMe has gone from being a small startup in Silicon Valley...
Should doctors’ social media profiles be scrutinised?
The Medical Board of Australia has proposed controversial changes to its Code of Conduct. Doctors and politicians have slammed proposed changes to the code of...
Introducing Snapchat Dysmorphia
Selfies can be psychologically damaging for some people The selfie fad is leading to a new psychological disorder, Snapchat Dysmorphia, according to an article in JAMA...
Is the BMA introducing ‘backdoor euthanasia’?
Confidential draft guidelines are circulating after a recent ruling by the High Court The British Medical Association is studying whether doctors should be allowed to...
Will Britain’s new opt-out organ donation system work?
Families don't like it -- and their wishes countBritain will change to an opt-out organ donation system by 2020 under proposed new legislation. “We believe...
Why are there so few women doctors in Japan? Now we know
Tokyo Medical University systematically marked women down in entrance exams More deep bows of apology and expressions of profound regret in Japan – this time...
Animal euthanasia
Every year, about 1.5 million cases of euthanasia take place in the United States. Does this have a negative impact on healthcare workers? Sorry, about 1.5 million cases...
Is suicide different from physician assisted death?
A new paper argues that PAD for psychiatric reasons may be indistinguishable from suicide. Bioethicists have for several decades discussed whether Physician Assisted Death (PAD)...
UK’s equality watchdog insists on transgender fertility services
NHS caught between conflicting demandsThe UK’s equality watchdog has demanded that the country’s National Health Service offer scarce fertility services to transitioning transgender people. At...
New guidelines seek to address misdiagnosis of disorders of consciousness
Four in 10 people thought to be unconscious are actually aware. About four in 10 people who are thought to be unconscious are actually aware,...
Embryo research: why not make it the “one month rule”?
Two ethicists argue that we should jettison the 14 day limit on growing embryos in vitro. Since the 1980s, research on embryos in vitro has...
Capital punishment stumbles ahead in US
Lethal injections are becoming more difficult to administerThree news items this week illustrate the patchwork of capital punishment legislation in the United States. On Thursday,...