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Human Brain Project: experts beg for the reintegration of neurosciences
Following the request by scientists for the European Commission to review its position regarding the strategy and management of the scientific programme, the Human Brain Project (Gènéthique press review on July 9th, 2014), the latter has just appointed a mediator...
Quebec invests in iPS
The Quebec CHU (University Hospital Centre) has announced that it has received an investment of 300,000 Canadian dollars (€210,000) to allow it to produce its own iPS cells in order to meet scientists’ requirements. According to the CHU, these human stem cells...
Switzerland dreams of banning gender-selective abortions
Yesterday, in Switzerland, the Council of States (Senate) adopted a motion put forward by socialist, Pascale Bruderer, calling for a toughening up of prenatal diagnostic requirements in order to rule out gender-selective abortions. Prenatal tests carried out...
Clinical trial with iPS cells: the new era of personalised medicine
On 10 September 2014, the scientific journal, Nature, revealed that a team of Japanese scientists would very soon be attempting to treat a patient suffering from age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) with iPS cells (Gènéthique press review on September 12th,...
The IUD or budgetary pragmatism versus poverty
Slate.com referred to an article published in the New York Times and written by Isabel Sawhill, expert on poverty and family issues at the Brookings Institution. As far as she is concerned, contraception is one of the solutions for combating poverty. Thus she notes...
Belgium: the law grants euthanasia for a murderer
Held for nearly 30 years in a secure psychiatric centre in a prison near Anvers for the rape and murder of a 19 year old female student, Franck Van Den Bleeken requested euthanasia three years ago. The reason given by the prisoner? "Intolerable mental suffering". "The...
The Church and new procreation techniques
During a procreation seminar held this weekend at Fribourg University (Switzerland)*, Thierry Collaud, Professor of Moral Theology and President of the Bioethics Committee highlighted the "positive discussions" of the Church concerning procreation in an interview...
Great Britain: Illegal Internet sales of ovary-stimulating treatments
Medicines used in in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles are being sold illegally on e-bay, for a third of the normal price. In Great Britain, many women who cannot conceive and who cannot afford the cost of this ovary-stimulating medication are choosing to obtain the...
Surrogacy abroad: the ECHR recognises that States are entitled to “legal checks”
In a decree announced on Thursday, 11 September, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) declared that "State authorities can legitimately carry out 'legal checks' before authorising the entry of a baby born as a result of surrogacy arrangements abroad". ...
Spain: heading towards a permanent withdrawal of the draft bill on abortion?
Last May, the Spanish Justice Minister, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, who created the draft bill aimed at limiting the number of abortions, announced that the bill could be approved by both assemblies before the summer (Gènéthique press review on May 9th, 2014). At the end...
Follow the twitter account of @genethique_EN
Gènéthique team launches its twitter account. Cloning, genome, end of life, medically assisted procreation, surrogacy, transhumanism… Gènéthique suggests many articles about bioethics news. Follow @genethique_EN in order to be informed in real time about...
Male contraception for 2017?
Male contraception could soon be available to the general public. The name of this type of contraception? Vasalgel, "a gel that is injected into the vas deferens and prevents sperm from being ejaculated". This product has been developed by the Parsemus Foundation....