May Archive

“Alarming cracks” in the edifice of science

Michael Cook | 12 May 2012

Many of the most heated policy debates in bioethics hinge on the accuracy of the research -- in biology, medicine and social science. So anything which affects the reliability of scientific knowledge also has a bearing on bioethics.

Shock therapy under fire in Massachusetts

Michael Cook | 12 May 2012

A controversy has erupted in Massachusetts over the use of skin shock therapy for troubled teenagers. The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in the suburb of Canton is a facility for people with severe emotional, behavioural and psychiatric problems, including autism. It is the only institution in the US which uses shock therapy ...

Germany uneasy about teen cosmetic surgery

Michael Cook | 12 May 2012

The German government is drafting legislation to ban cosmetic surgery for teenagers except for medical reasons. At the moment, there is no minimum age. As a result, patients under 20 account for about 10% of all cosmetic procedures, according to the Association of German Plastic Surgeons.

Should Big Pharma fund bioethics?

Michael Cook | 12 May 2012

Gadfly: a person who annoys or criticizes others in order to provoke them into action. There is no better word to describe Carl Elliott, a University of Minnesota bioethicist who is the profession’s most savage critic. In his column in the Chronicle of Higher Education this week, he took up a favourite theme: cosying up to the pharmaceutical industry. He complains that too many bioethicists are being funded by Big Pharma, which Dr Elliott tends to describe as a Mafia network.

“I found my embryos on Craigslist”

Michael Cook | 12 May 2012

Two couples, in Chicago and Florida, found their embryos through a Craigslist discussion group from an Iowa couple who had 18 spare embryos. Deb and Kevin McCrea gave 9 to each couple for free, saving them thousands of dollars in IVF treatment.

Powdered baby flesh sold to South Koreans

Michael Cook | 11 May 2012

Thousands of drug capsules made from powdered baby flesh in China have been confiscated by South Korea customs agents. They were manufactured in northern China and smuggled in as stamina boosters. There were 35 attempts since last August, involving 17,450 capsules. Customs officials said that no one had been arrested, because the material, which contained bacteria and other harmful substances, was only intended for personal use.

More data rolls in about IVF birth defects

Michael Cook | 11 May 2012

The contentious issue of birth defects in babies conceived with IVF is on the boil again after a major study was published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers at the University of Adelaide, in Australia, confirmed earlier surveys that found an elevated risk of defect among IVF babies. The odds for any birth defect in pregnancies involving assisted conception are 8.3%, compared to 5.8% for unassisted pregnancies.

Bioethics and the 2012 election: Romney’s surrogate grandsons

Michael Cook | 05 May 2012

Mitt Romney's eldest son Tagg now has three children born from a surrogate mother.

Chile’s “natural experiment” suggests that banning abortion will not kill more women

Michael Cook | 05 May 2012

Legal, safe and rare abortion is often seen as a necessary component of women’s health. However, a study of abortion in Chile published this week in PLoS One suggests that “the legal status of abortion does not appear to be related to overall rates of maternal mortality”.

Should eugenics become a “fundamental human right”?

Michael Cook | 05 May 2012

Should termination of Down syndrome foetuses be regarded as a fundamental human right? This is an issue which the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is currently pondering in the case of Krūzmane vs. Latvia.

How long should women persevere with IVF?

Michael Cook | 05 May 2012

In Israel women with up to two children can receive unlimited free, government-funded IVF treatment. This means that it is an ideal place to test the effectiveness of IVF in increasing fertility. Unfortunately, according to the Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, this policy has failed. Instead, it has just hooked some women on endless painful and humiliating IVF treatment.

South Korea ramps up stem-cell research

Jared Yee | 05 May 2012

South Korea's stem cell research is bouncing back after the disgrace caused by researcher Hwang Woo-suk, whose work with stem cells proved to be fraudulent.

Women strap on bellies to keep surrogacy secret

Jared Yee | 05 May 2012

Many women in India who hire surrogates use fake tummies to keep the surrogacy a secret, the Times of India reports.

Facebook encourages organ donation

Jared Yee | 05 May 2012

The organ donation community applauded Facebook's announcement this week that it will allow its 900 million members to share their donor status with friends and family, and to link to state databases where Americans can sign up online to become donors.

Euthanasia on the boil in New Zealand

Jared Yee | 05 May 2012

Two cases of euthanasia in New Zealand have been used to push the legalisation agenda, with politicians agitating for legal change. Each has involved men who helped terminally ill family members to commit suicide.

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