Is human dignity a stupid idea?
Harvard professor Steven Pinker says soIn the minds of most people, human dignity must surely be a cornerstone of bioethics. But as BioEdge has often...
War on terror in another bioethical fix
Should detainees be sedated? The war on terror has thrown up another bioethical conundrum: forcible drugging of foreigners deported from the United States. The Washington...
Having fun behind closed doors
... and creating GM embryos News that American scientists had created a genetically modified human embryo leaked out over the weekend. Scientists at Cornell University...
Hybrid embryos: nice, but not necessary, says expert
British Parliament debates fertility legislation Once again, bioethics is on centre stage in the British Parliament as the House of Commons debates a revision of...
American ‘reverend’ enjoys his job of assisting suicide
Disturbing profile of George Exoo A disturbing profile in the Guardian of the one leading lights of the right-to-die movement, the Rev. George Exoo, shows...
Claims by Irish bioethics council attacked
Embryo rights not a religious dogma The Irish Council for Bioethics recently recommended by a unanimous vote that frozen IVF embryos could be destroyed for...
Ava Gardner’s message for would-be suicides
Why is Melbourne so gloomy? One of the most depressing films you could possibly see is On the Beach, a 1959 Hollywood melodrama with Gregory...
Therapeutic cloning loses its glamour
Bill defeated in Western Australia Is the unstoppable advance of therapeutic cloning in danger of grinding slowly to a halt? This week a bill authorizing...
Researchers enthusiastic about induced pluripotent cells, says Nature
Pace of iPS cell development much faster The superiority of induced pluripotent cells over embryonic stem cells is leaving scientists agog, according to a survey...
California institute rebuked for poor governance
Affordability another serious issue Despite a squeaky-clean public image derived from its noble aim of curing the cureless, embryonic stem cell research is plagued by...
US bans genetic discrimination
But issue not closed The US has banned genetic discrimination by health insurers and employers. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which sailed through both the...
Has neuroscience defeated moral relativism?
A.C. Grayling raves about mirror neurons Somewhat like Darwinism, neuroscience is a field which is being mined for all the answers to all the questions...