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Neonatal infanticides and ECLJ petition: opening Council of Europe debates
On Friday, 24 April, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe received a petition on “the rights of new-born infants who survive abortion”, and decided to send it to Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights. This petition was launched in November...
Heart treatment: an alternative to stem cells – successfully tested in mice
A team of American scientists led by Doctor Edward Morrisey (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia) has highlighted the possibility of regenerating cardiac muscle cells post-infarction in mice. Current attempts to repair the heart involve surgery or a...
EllaOne® available without a prescription: a contested approach
EllaOne®, “the emergency contraceptive pill”, has recently become available without a prescription in France and other European countries. The argument put forward in support of the sale of EllaOne® is its efficacy compared to the “morning after pill”, Norlevo®....
Genetic changes to human embryos: a symbolic fracture that calls for an ethical leap
On 18 April, a team of Chinese scientists reported in the Protein&Cell journal that they had genetically handled human embryos using the CRISPR-Cas9 technique in a failed attempt to correct a gene responsible for beta thalassemia. Of the 86 modified, non-viable...
Columbia: heading towards legal euthanasia?
It is 18 years since the Columbian Supreme Court decided to view euthanasia as a “constitutional right”. However, the first directives aimed at facilitating total access and creating a specific legal framework have just been announced by Health Minister Alejandro...
Genetic handling of embryos: a worrying transgression
As far as scientific blogger Albert Barrois is concerned, the announcement of the first genetic handling of human embryos by a Chinese team can be viewed as both "good" and bad news. The bad news is that "what would still have been considered a major...
DNA handling – a new avenue to avoid “3-parent IVF”
Nature commented on the publication in the Cell journal (23 April edition) providing a progress report on the work of two professors at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, (California), Alejandro Ocampo, molecular biologist, and Juan Carlos Izpisua...
Reform of the Moroccan abortion law: a month of rallying – where do they go from here?
On 16 March, King Mohammed VI instructed the Justice Minister, the Minister for Haboos and Islamic Affairs and the President of the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) to work with several commissions on reforming the abortion law. A debate was held in...
China: Genetic handling of human embryos confirmed
Initially believed to be a "rumour" in the scientific communities, research conducted by Professor Junjiu Huang’s Chinese team on the handling of human embryos has now been confirmed. The results of this world first were published in the Cell &...
Professor Alain Fischer receives the Japan Prize for his work on gene therapy
Alain Fischer is a French doctor, Professor of Paediatric Immunology and research biologist. Today, in Tokyo, he was awarded "the most prestigious national scientific prize", namely the Japan Prize in recognition of his work in the field of gene therapies. ...
Tennessee reviews removal of the reflection period prior to an abortion
Yesterday, in the United States, the Tennessee Chamber of Representatives adopted two measures regarding abortion: The first relates to establishments or doctors’ surgeries where over 50 abortions are practised each year. They should be accredited and...
IPS cells: Professor Yamanaka’s laboratory joins forces with the biggest Japanese pharmaceutical laboratory
Frenchman Christophe Weber manages the biggest Japanese pharmaceutical company, Takeda. At the end of last week, he announced a 10-year joint venture with the research unit run by Professor Yamanaka, the 2012 Nobel Prize Winner for Medicine, for his discovery of iPS...