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United Kingdom: judges authorise the cryopreservation of a young girl’s body
A 14 year-old English girl who wanted her body to be "preserved" in case she could be cured in the future, won "a historical legal battle" just a short time before her death. The project devised by this young girl in the terminal stage of a rare form of cancer,...
Australia: Parliament rejects the draft bill on active euthanasia for the fifteenth time
In Australia, the draft bill on active euthanasia with "guarantees" was rejected for the fifteenth time by the Southern Australian Parliament (see Australie : Le Parlement examine pour la quatorzième fois un projet de loi sur l'euthanasie active - Australia:...
A connected bracelet to measure fertility
Zurich Company, Ava[1], has developed a "fertility bracelet" to "enable women who wish to become pregnant to monitor their menstrual cycles and fertility". This bracelet is connected to an app which collects "millions of data during sleep, e.g. breathing, quality of...
CRISPR: The first patient treated in China
A Chinese team led by oncologist Lu You at the University of Sichuan, injected a lung cancer patient with genetically modified cells using the CRISPR-Cas9 technique for the first time at the end of October. This clinical trial was approved by an Ethics...
“Tecnology should not be used to boost performance but to protect the body”
Marie-Amélie Le Fur, Paralympic Athletics Champion and medal-winner at the Rio Olympic Games "warns against the temptation to over-instrumentalise the body". She runs with a blade replacing her left leg - a prosthesis that makes her particularly attentive to...
Ireland adopts its position regarding surrogacy
Since 2011, over 80 children have been born abroad through surrogacy to intended Irish parents. Over 75% of them were born in India. These figures are based on the parents' applications for emergency passports. This "controversial" practice could be partly...
United Kingdom: concerns surrounding increased complications in IVF
Last year in the United Kingdom, an increasing number of women suffered serious complications following In-Vitro Fertilisation according to the HFEA[1]. Doctors are concerned by the increase in cases of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which can be...
Switzerland : the octogenarian protected by his brothers commits suicide
The octogenarian who requested the assistance of Exit to commit suicide "has finally ended his life". His brothers had sought legal advice to block the actions of Exit, believing that, as their brother was in "perfect health", it was "unacceptable for Exit to exercise...
Election of Donald Trump : Less finance for the American Family Planning Association?
Since the election of Donald Trump, the American Family Planning Association has witnessed a substantial increase in individual donations - around 80,000 in one week. These donors are anticipating a potential decrease in planned parenthood financing. Six hundred and...
United Kingdom: a draft bill aimed at limiting abortion due to disability is gaining ground
In the United Kingdom, a draft bill proposed by Lord Kevin Shinkwin is intended to prohibit abortion due to disability. This type of abortion is currently authorised up to birth. The new bill has just had its second reading in the House of Lords. Lord...
Promises associated with iPS cells
In Japan, thanks to IPS cells, scientists at the Riken Brain Science Institute have identified a new mutation in neural cells responsible for schizophrenia. They then validated their observations in vivo. Induced pluripotent stem cells were used here to model the...
Assisted dying in Quebec: doctors object
In Quebec, the results of an initial qualitative study carried out in two palliative care units between January and August 2016, show that "grey areas certainly exist when it comes to assessing assisted dying requests". Doctors have expressed how uneasy they...