Sperm bank to add criminal check and thorough psych assessment to screening process
It's about time, some will sayA leading sperm bank, California Cryobank, has become the first in the industry to add a clinical psychological assessment and criminal...
Cosmetic surgery clowning to be discouraged
Sleazy marketing tactics are popular in a competitive fieldThe circus atmosphere of plastic surgeons donning costumes, dancing and juggling breast implants during live surgery videos...
Children can write their own advance care directives in Victoria
As long as they are competent, their requests will be bindingIn a world first, the Australian state of Victoria is allowing children of any age...
Your genes for sale: shouldn’t you get a return?
There are ethical concerns about business practices of genomics companiesPersonalised genetic testing has become increasingly popular with companies such as 23andMe offering a variety of...
Embryo gene-editing in Canada: Ethicists urge caution
Two Canadian ethicists defend a moratorium on embryo gene-editing, arguing that it reflects an international consensus Two Canadian ethicists have defended their country’s moratorium on...
An AI alternative to organised religion
There are several quasi-religious organisations now operational in Silicon ValleyTired of organised religion? Maybe you should join a Silicon Valley religious start-up. Former Uber exec...
Is drug addiction an illness?
Most of us have an ambivalent attitude towards drug addicts. Can they stop? No, their will power is shot to pieces. Will you invite one...
Are drug addicts responsible or helpless victims of an illness?
The Massachusetts Supreme Court could decideWho is responsible for drug addiction: your brain or you? This momentous question will be decided in the Massachusetts Supreme...
Medical staff punished after privacy breach in Pennsylvania hospital
Staff were sharing photos on their smartphones Respect for patients’ privacy is a work in progress, to judge from an incident in UPMC Bedford Memorial...
Medical aid urgently needed in Myanmar
The Lancet called this week for humanitarian support to be “urgently deployed" in Myanmar. The persecution of the Rohingya population in Myanmar has a decades...
US Congress ponders assisted suicide
Opponents are trying to drum up support for a resolutionA resolution condemning assisted suicide has been introduced into the US House of Representatives. Both sides...
40 years after, Scottish mother still mourns the son a hospital stole from her
Body used for tissue samples or organsForty years later, a Scottish mother is still mourning her son who died at 7 days. The death of...