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Laudato Si – Praise be to you – encyclical: the Pope reminds us of mankind’s place at the heart of ecology
Pope Francis published his 2nd encyclical on 18 June 2015, “On safeguarding our common home”, painting a picture without any concessions and calling for a conversion of market laws to serve human beings and all of mankind. Gènéthique is interested in the points...
Belgium: Euthanasia “completely out of control”
An academic report published by the Journal of Medical Ethics has revealed worrying euthanasia spin-offs taking place in Belgium where “euthanasia is completely out of control”. This report essentially highlights the frequency of active euthanasia performed without...
The European Parliament bans cloned animals from EU states
Yesterday, Wednesday 17 June, the European Parliament called for a territory-wide ban within the European Union on cloned animals, their descendants and products obtained from such animals. This generalised moratorium is “the outcome of an agreement between the...
Arizona: Offering to cancel medical abortion “after the event” will not be an obligation for doctors
Yesterday, the Advocate General of Arizona announced his decision not to validate the most controversial part of the new abortion law, namely the section that obliges doctors to explain to women who have just undergone a medical procedure that the latter can be...
Elon Musk: handling of DNA and eugenics – how can the “Hitler problem” be avoided?
Elon Musk, businessman and multibillion engineer, founder of Space X and director of TelsaMotors is a major figure in projects concerning renewable energy, the Internet, artificial intelligence and the conquest of space. He has already expressed reservations...
Injection of stem cells to “stimulate ovaries”
Professor Antonio Pellicer, co-Director of the hospital group IVI[1] in Spain, is carrying out a clinical trial in Valence involving around twenty women. This trial involves “stimulating follicles, the precursors of oocytes, by injecting stem cells obtained from...
North Carolina: An ultrasound scan is no longer mandatory prior to abortion
Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court rendered illegal the law demanding an ultrasound scan prior to an abortion in North Carolina. The Court of Appeal had previously deemed this law to be anti-constitutional, thereby blocking its application. The aim of...
62% of Swiss in favour of PGD (pre-implantation genetic diagnosis)
Yesterday, the Swiss voted in favour of pre-implantation diagnosis. 62% accepted the general amendment to the Constitution which creates a framework authorising doctors to practise PGD. However, only 43% of voters participated. This vote “is, however,...
Forearm reconstructed from stem cells
The biological forearm prostheses of a rat and baboon were obtained by a team in Boston (United States) under the supervision of Dr. Harald Ott at Massachusetts General Hospital. This American team succeeded in reconstructing the limbs from stem cells. The...
First birth using an autograft of ovarian tissue collected prior to puberty
An anonymous young woman of 27 has become the first female in the world to give birth to a baby after having had her fertility restored via transplantation of her own ovarian tissues, collected and frozen prior to puberty. The news was announced by a medical...
A successful petition obliges the Dutch Parliament to discuss NIPS (non-invasive prenatal screening)
In January 2015, the Dutch NGO, DownPride, launched a petition against the routine introduction of NIPS in the Netherlands. In fact, it was considered that NIPS should be routinely available to all pregnant women as part of the public health policy. NIPS...
Switzerland: Disabled persons’ organisations adopt a united front against PGD (pre-implantation genetic diagnosis)
Switzerland should announce its position regarding Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis on 14 June. An inter-party committee has been formed, refusing to accept that Switzerland should “open its doors to eugenics". The Catholic bishops and the Federation of...