Chinese gangs using ‘blood slaves’
Organ transplant technology has led to well-documented abuses. But it’s novel to hear of blood transfusion as a criminal activity. The South China Morning Post...
‘Beep, beep, beep’: the sound of going blind again
What happens when your life depends on a brilliant invention and the manufacturer stops supporting it? About 350 blind people fear the worst after a...
Italian euthanasia referendum sunk by Constitutional Court
The Italian Constitutional Court blocked a proposal for a national referendum on the right to die this week. The leading lobby group, Associazione Luca...
When should scientists proceed with heritable genetic engineering?
When should scientists proceed with heritable genetic engineering? Dr He Jiankui, of China, chose the wrong time. In 2018 he announced that he had genetically...
Iceland lashed over Down syndrome record at UN
Amongst the Byzantine traditions of the United Nations is the Universal Periodic Review in the Human Rights Council. This is a kind of triennial session...
No ethical obstacles to artificial gametes, says ethicist
While the development of induced pluripotent stem cells has opened up many avenues of research into promising therapies, it has also made possible the creation...
New implant from Switzerland offers promise for the paralyzed
On a cold, snowy day last December, Michel Roccati – an Italian man who became paralyzed after a motorcycle accident four years earlier – took...
Washington state may criminalise fertility fraud
As more and more people discover through DNA tests that they are “doctor-conceived” instead of donor-conceived, Washington State’s Senate Committee on Law and Justice is...
Dutch IVF doctor secretly fathered at least 21 children
A third doctor who used his own sperm to inseminate his patients has surfaced in the Netherlands. A DNA investigation has shown that Dr Jan...
Are human challenge studies for Covid ethical?
Researchers at Oxford University, in the UK, are seeking volunteers to participate in human challenge studies. These are carefully controlled experiments which involve deliberately infecting...
Towards a new vision for death and dying
Health and social systems around the world are failing to give appropriate, compassionate care to people who are dying and their families. According to a...
Ukraine surrogacy industry prepares for war
According to the BBC, “Russia says it has no plans to attack Ukraine: and armed forces chief Valery Gerasimov even denounced reports of an impending...