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Euthanasia in Belgium: “Control is ineffective – it is the law which needs to be challenged”
Twenty-four year-old Laura requested euthanasia this summer because she was having suicidal thoughts. Eighty-five year-old (cf. Gènéthique du 1er juillet et 5 aout 2015)Simone underwent euthanasia because she could no longer bear to live following the death of her...
Quebec: law 52 “flouts the professional judgement and conscience “of doctors
10 December in Canada “will mark the start of the euthanasia experiment in Quebec”(cf Gènéthique du 23 octobre 2015). As the deadline approaches, the country’s religious communities are asking “the new liberal government to introduce strict guidelines regarding...
The Swedish legal system forces a man to recognise his twins born by MAP (medically assisted procreation)
On Thursday, the Swedish legal system confirmed that a man could not relinquish his paternal rights. He submitted this request to the courts following the birth of his twins born by implanting “two embryos fertilised in vitro from egg and sperm donations”. The man...
How can the human genome, heritage of humanity, be protected?
Until recently, “Germline genetic interventions were the subject of science-fiction novels and scientific theoretical debate, but considered non-executable.”[1] Nowadays, the cloning techniques, the use of stem cells, the formation of gametes from pluripotent stem...
Warning of the IBC against the NIPT’s « tendency towards eugenics”
The International Bioethics Committee (IBC) of UNESCO does not hold back concerning the prenatal non-invasive testing (NIPT). In its final report on Human genome and human rights, published on October 2nd, the IBC declared that “The widespread use of genetic...
Imminent launch of an international iPS cell bank
Next January, the Global Alliance for iPS therapies (GIAT) will start “to assemble a haplobank comprising 150 induced pluripotent cell lines iPS)[1]”, in an attempt to satisfy clinical trial requirements. This project is the fruit of collaboration between...
India stops foreigners from accessing surrogacy
On Wednesday, 28 October, the Indian Government announced that it “was banning foreigners from accessing its surrogacy services in order to regulate procreative tourism, which is witnessing strong growth”. The Indian Government therefore wishes to restrict surrogacy...
Belgium: First case of euthanasia referred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office
On 22 June 2015, Simone was euthanized in Anvers, Belgium, at the age of 85. Ever since the death of her daughter a few months earlier, she could no longer tolerate living: “sorrow became an intolerable pain”. Her case, which was analysed by the...
Three-parent IVF in the United Kingdom – advocating eugenics?
In February 2015, the United Kingdom authorised “three-parent in-vitro fertilisation”(cf. Gènéthique du 4 février 2015). This vote in the House of Commons constituted a world first, and was validated by the House of Lords on 23 February. However, HFEA President...
Reprogrammed stem cells are as functional as embryo stem cells
Human Embryo Stem Cells (hESC) are capable of generating all types of human body cells but they are obtained by destroying human embryos. In 2006, Professor Yamanaka developed a technique for reprogramming adult cells into pluripotent stem cells. These “iPS” cells...
The Synod report calls for life to be defended
The Synod on Family convened by Pope Francis took place in Rome from 4 to 25 October 2015 in an attempt to “listen to laypersons and bishops on changes in and problems currently facing the family”. The final report was published on 26 October. “Faithful to the...
Euthanasia in Quebec: “Who pushes the button on the syringe?”
In Quebec, law 52 adopted on 10 June 2014 will come into force in December 2015(cf. Gènéthique du 10 juin 2014). This allows adults at the end of life and people experiencing immense, incurable suffering to receive medical assistance to die. It also includes a...