OBITUARY: Dame Cecily Saunders
The founder of the modern hospice movement, Dame Cecily Saunders, died early this month in London. She discovered her vocation to care for the dying...
IN BRIEF: RU-486; statistics
RU-486: Two more women have died in California after using the abortion pill RU-486. At least five women have died in the US since the...
Dutch doctors unanimous on non-voluntary euthanasia for children
Dutch paediatricians have unanimously approved a set of guidelines for euthanasing incurably ill newborn children. The Dutch Paediatric Society now accepts that "in exceptional circumstances...
The rich die differently
Wealthy American die with less pain than poor Americans, researchers at the University of Michigan have found. Men and women whose net worth was more...
Official Swiss ethics panel backs state-monitored suicide
The Swiss National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics has backed assisted suicide and has called for government supervision of Swiss euthanasia clinics. So long as...
Illinois governor listens to his conscience
The governor of the American state of Illinois has bypassed his legislature and personally authorised US$10 million for stem cell research funding, including embryonic stem...
Kass endorses “third way” for embryonic stem cell research
The US Senate should support funding for alternative sources of embryonic stem cells, argues Dr Leon Kass, the head of the President's Council on Bioethics....
Why no one is making money with stem cells
An article in Nature Biotechnology by an venture capitalist paints a gloomy picture of commercial prospects for stem cell therapies. Lutz B. Giebel, of SV...
Monkeying with stem cells a risky business, says panel
Inserting human stem cells into monkey brains risks giving animals human-like qualities, says a high-level US panel after a year-long study. It agreed that this...
Spain and France may authorise therapeutic cloning
The Spanish government plans to introduce legislation soon to authorise therapeutic cloning. In Spain, where the Socialist government has embarked upon a program of radical...
More US women freezing eggs despite risks
The number of US IVF clinics offering egg freezing services will double this year, according to the Los Angeles Times. "The trend has the potential...
New system for donor gametes
A Belgian bioethicist has proposed a novel solution to the shortage of donor sperm and eggs for UK IVF clinics, a problem which is becoming...