Suicide drugs could become available over the counter in UK if euthanasia laws are changed
Suicide drugs could become available from pharmacists if assisted suicide is legalised, two of the UK’s most highly regarded legal and medical experts have said.Suicide...
Who really invented bioethics?
Who invented bioethics? The textbooks say that there are two contenders, both Americans: Van Rensselaer Potter, an oncologist, and Sargent Shriver, a benefactor of the...
Russian president backs chemical castration for paedophiles
Paedophiles should be chemically castrated, says Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. "Punishments should be as harsh as possible. The state should use all means possible, and...
Europe’s biggest stem cell clinic shut down after baby’s death
In a case which is a veritable cocktail of bioethical issues, Europe’s biggest stem cell clinic has been shut down.In a case which is a...
Germany to start paying families to use IVF to reverse shrinking birthrate
Germany is on the verge of providing a curious solution for its sharply declining birthrate: paying couples to have IVF treatment.Germany is on the verge...
The assassination of Osama bin Laden
May 7, 2011 Hi there, The news which has gripped everyone this week is the killing of Osama bin Laden. I have trawled through the...
The bioethics of revenge
Is there a bioethical angle to the killing of Osama bin Laden on Sunday? There is not much scope for analysing targeted assassination in terms...
Academics claim that calling animals ‘pets’ is insulting
In what may seem a slightly hysterical semantic move, leading academics have claimed that animal lovers should stop calling their domestic animals ‘pets’, because the...
Is posting a joint suicide video on YouTube ethical?
“On the evening of 28 April 2011, long-time Exit members Don & Iris Flounders finally drank the Nembutal they had obtained 3 years earlier...
Bahrain medics arrested for helping protesters
Major American medical associations have denounced arrests of Bahraini doctors and nurses who treated injured protesters. In a letter to the government, they say...Major American...
First award for embryonic stem cell trial
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded US$25 million to a stem cell company for a clinical trial with embryonic stem cells. This...
Investigate medical complicity in Gitmo torture, say doctors
In the continuing debate over mistreatment and torture at Guantanamo Bay, the journal PLoS Medicine has alleged that medical doctors and mental health professionals from...