March Archive

China to stop harvesting convict organs

Jared Yee | 31 March 2012

China officials plan to end organ harvesting from death-row inmates, in a move to reform an organ donation system which has for many years relied heavily on prisoners.

Neuroscience comes under fire from British philosopher

Michael Cook | 31 March 2012

Roger Scruton puts a blowtorch to neuroscience.

Father-to-son sperm donation

Jared Yee | 31 March 2012

A married couple in the Netherlands tried over and over to conceive, but in their early 30s they discovered that the husband produced no sperm.

First figures on assisted suicide published

Jared Yee | 31 March 2012

Assisted suicide cases in Switzerland have grown steadily over the past decade to almost 300 in 2009, its Federal Statistics Office reported this week.

Sperm donors should all be identified, says Victorian committee

Michael Cook | 29 March 2012

The Australian state of Victoria, the first in the world to pass a law on assisted reproduction, may pass retrospective legislation to give all donor-conceived people access to information about their donors.

Vatican cancels high-level stem cell conference

Michael Cook | 29 March 2012

It is no secret that the Vatican and most researchers on human embryonic stem cells do not see eye to eye on much more than the time of day. So the real question about why the Third International Congress on Responsible Stem Cell Research, scheduled for 25–28 April, was organised at all, rather than why it was abruptly cancelled this week.

Donation after cardiac death: controversies with a controversy

Michael Cook | 29 March 2012

There are few areas in bioethics which require more philosophical subtlety than determining when death happens in organ donation. But an NPR feature this week on the controversial problem of donation after cardiac death has highlighted an area which is even more controversial.

Former V-P gets new heart

Michael Cook | 28 March 2012

Former US vice president Dick Cheney received a new heart recently. The operation sparked speculation that he had jumped the queue.

Oregon releases assisted suicide stats

Michael Cook | 28 March 2012

Oregon’s public health division has released statistics on deaths under its physician-assisted suicide (PAS) legislation for 2011.

Quebec could legalise euthanasia

Michael Cook | 26 March 2012

A parliamentary committee in Quebec has recommended the legalisation of euthanasia with strict safeguards. Its report, “Mourir dans la dignité” (Dying With Dignity), contends that dying is a part of life and since medical assistance is used to prolong life, it should also be used in extreme cases to end it.

Assisted-suicide advocate uses law to kill himself

Jared Yee | 24 March 2012

One of the first doctors to support Oregon’s controversial assisted-suicide law has used it to end his own life.

US Supreme Court wrestles with posthumous conception

Jared Yee | 24 March 2012

The US Supreme Court grappled this week for the first time with “posthumous conception”.

UK surrogacy mum wants maternity leave

Jared Yee | 24 March 2012

A British woman who had a child by surrogacy has sued for paid maternity leave. The woman, who remains anonymous, alleging sex and maternity discrimination, has taken her case to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to decide whether the British laws are consistent with European Union directives.

Stem cell therapy could bolster kidney transplant success

Jared Yee | 24 March 2012

A kidney transplant patient’s own stem cells could replace anti-rejection medications, a new study suggests.

Is one in five abortion clinics breaking the law in the UK?

Michael Cook | 24 March 2012

Abortion is back on the front pages of British papers with the news that abortion providers are routinely falsifying paperwork. The Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, was outraged by revelations in the Telegraph, and vowed to crack down on clinics which were operating outside the law.

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