Playing the bioethical Trump card

What do bioethicists think of Donald Trump? Probably not much. Trump views on bioethical issues are either ill-defined or extreme: He flip-flopped on abortion this week, appearing to change position three times in the space of a day. And after the Brussell’s terrorist attacks he called for a liberisation of US laws on turture of

Indiana Governor Signs Abortion Bill With Added Restrictions

CHICAGO — Indiana’s governor signed a bill on Thursday that adds broad limits to women’s access to abortions, banning those motivated solely by the mother’s objection to the fetus’s race, gender or disability, and placing new restrictions on doctors. The law, which passed both chambers of the Republican-controlled General Assembly with large majorities, builds on

Aging, Indebted Japan Debates Right to ‘Die With Dignity’

Retired Japanese airline employee Tarou Tanzawa said he hadn’t thought much about his own death until his 84-year-old mother was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma and decided against costly and invasive life-prolonging treatment. He watched his mother die peacefully at a nursing home where she received only palliative care after checking out of the hospital where

French Lawmakers Approve Terminal Sedation, Not Euthanasia

France’s Parliament has approved a bill that will let doctors keep terminally ill patients sedated until death comes but stops short of legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide. After years of tense debate over the issue and a long journey through Parliament, the bill was passed by the country’s lower house and Senate Wednesday. The text

The ruling that Northern Ireland abortion law breaches human rights reminds us freedoms are yet to be won.

Although only one-third of British people are aware that it is impossible for the average woman in Northern Ireland to have an abortion, a number of significant cases across the Irish Sea have raised the profile of this struggle. A landmark ruling – though undoubtedly welcome – serves primarily as a reminder of just how far

California legislature approves bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide

Sharon Bernstein reporst from Reuter: The California legislature on Friday approved a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients despite opposition from religious and disability rights groups, sending it to Democratic Governor Jerry Brown for his approval or veto. The bill would allow mentally competent patients to request a prescription that would end

European court strikes down challenge to embryo law.

 The European Court of Human Rights has rejected a case that would have overruled existing Italian law on the use of frozen embryos in research. The court ruled that Adelina Parillo, who with her partner Stefano Rolla, a film director, created five embryos in 2002, did not have a right to donate her embryos to

Alabama: Judge Blocks Abortion Clinic Rules

A federal judge has blocked a regulation that could have permanently closed Alabama’s busiest abortion clinic, saying the rule was unnecessary to protect women. Judge Myron Thompson of Federal District Court issued a temporary restraining order blocking the rule last week and followed up with an opinion issued Thursday. The 2007 regulation requires clinics to

Euthanasia row over decision to end life support for French quadraplegic Vincent Lambert

A row has broken out over the controversial question of who should take responsibility for a comatose man after doctors refused to decide on ending life support, saying they feared for their safety. According to the parents of Vincent Lambert, 38, left a quadriplegic with severe brain damage after a 2008 motorbike accident. his doctors

Science, the landless frontier

There is a shifting balance in the relationship between science and technology. Corollary to this shift is a movement away from government-funded research investment to a more market-based approach. The geopolitical ramification are enormous. (Paolo Bianco) To read the article CLICK HERE.

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