Suicide rate soars in US
The deaths this week of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain (see below) focused the media once again on explanations for America’s...
Suicide rate rises steeply in US
Up 30% in 20 yearsTwo American celebrities committed suicide during the week: Kate Spade, a 55-year-old fashion designer, and Anthony Bourdain, a 61-year-old chef and...
Switzerland: Minelli cleared; doctors OK to help in assisted suicide
Dignitas founder found innocent of 'profiteering'The founder of Switzerland’s best known assisted suicide group, Dignitas, has been cleared of charges of “profiteering” from helping people to...
What will happen with Northern Ireland’s abortion law?
A ruling by the UK Supreme Court could doom itNorthern Ireland has one of the world’s most restrictive laws on abortion. But its days could...
Will IVF turn around Japan’s declining population?
Five percent of Japanese babies are due to IVF – one of the highest rates in the world. Still, according to The Economist, “No country...
3-parent babies: Singapore and Ukraine
A clinic in Ukraine is already performing the technique and marketing it internationally Singapore could become the second country after the United Kingdom to legalize...
Why a London museum should return the stolen bones of an Irish giant
Some 250 years after his body was taken, it’s time to accord Charles Byrne the respectful burial he deservesIt has all the hallmarks of a...
What are the five best arguments against euthanasia?
Several influential doctors and ethicists have summarised the case against euthanasia. As medical societies around the world consider changes to their position on euthanasia, several...
Is China raising its animal ethics standards?
US scientists say new research oversight processes have been introduced in China. Gene-editing research has developed at a much faster rate in China compared to...
Left out on euthanasia
Some years ago, I received an unexpected phone call from a Melbourne magazine which described itself as the voice of the Australian Left. One of...
Is euthanasia the next step for Ireland after abortion?
Junior minister is drafting a bill Hard on the heels of Ireland’s historic approval of abortion in a constitutional referendum last week comes a bill...
Is it immoral to love your kids because they are related to you?
Some bioethicists say Yes There is a slow-moving debate over at the Journal of Medical Ethics on whether it is moral or immoral to desire...