Belgium pioneers organ donation after voluntary euthanasia
The practice of transplanting organs from patients who die after voluntary euthanasia is becoming customary in Belgium.The practice of transplanting organs from patients who die...
“The new sexual predators”
They say that history is written by the winners. A new twist on this maxim is that bioethics is written by the powerful. But what...
IVF birth defects may be decreasing
The prevalence of birth defects in IVF babies may be decreasing, a major study from Western Australia suggests. The prevalence of birth defects in IVF...
NY group sets up fund to support gay parents
Men Having Babies, Inc., a New York-based non-profit, is offering grants to help needy gays become parents. Men Having Babies, Inc., a New York-based non-profit, is...
More conscience conundrums
Hi there, I am afraid that the newsletters this week and next week will be a bit thinner than usual. We shall be on light...
May doctors refuse to do physical examinations?
Conscientious objection is a familiar issue in cases of abortion or contraception. What about conscientious objection to physical examinations of the opposite sex? This is...
Swiss parliament rejects more regulation of assisted suicide
The lower house of the Swiss parliament has declined to tighten controls on assisted suicide. MPs felt that self-regulation by groups like Exit and Dignitas...
Useful kidneys discarded every day in US, experts claim
In 2011 2,644 of the 14,784 kidneys recovered in the United States were discarded – nearly 18%, according to official statistics. Almost 500 of these...
New York nurse alleges pressure to harvest organs
A whistleblower has accused the New York Organ Donor Network of pressuring hospital employees to declare patients brain dead so that their organs can be...
Big rise in Dutch euthanasia deaths
Just-released statistics for Dutch euthanasia in 2011 show that the number of psychiatric patients who died has skyrocketed from 2 in 2010 to 13 last...
Danish donor passes on severe defect
So much for careful monitoring of sperm donation from Danish “Vikings”. A man, known only as “donor 7042” fathered dozens of children at Copenhagen's Nordisk...
“The Waiting Room”
The Waiting Room is a wrenching documentary made in 2010 about the crowded emergency room of Highland Hospital in Oakland, California. Unlike other depictions of...