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India: attempted suicide of a woman forced into surrogacy
A young Indian woman of 23, Katta Sridevi, attempted to commit suicide after being forced by doctors to become a surrogate mother. When her own mother became ill, she enlisted the help of a friend who was a nurse. The friend promised her 3.5 lakh[1] if she...
“How can an act that suppresses an innocent and helpless life that is germinating be therapeutic, civil or even simply human? “
During the general audience on Wednesday, 10 October, Pope Francis "did not mince his words on abortion". He discussed the subject by reflecting on the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill": "How can an act that suppresses an innocent and helpless life that is...
CRISPR: new studies financed by the NIH
As CRISPR human trials are just getting off the ground (see Genome printing: what is the status of human treatment projects?), the NIH[1] is set to finance a study assessing the safety of genome printing in human cells and tissues. The team, led by Professor Todd...
Contraceptive implant migrates to the lungs and becomes life-threatening
A contraceptive implant migrated from the arm to the lungs. For this young woman from Franche-Comté, the implant was a "modern" method of contraception that she had used since 2014. After three years, the device no longer releases any contraceptive. On going to remove...
Medically assisted reproduction for all women: “Anthropology can’t be changed by decree”
Whilst there is an overwhelming "frenzy of regulations and controls authorising everyone to be everyone else's doctor, priest or nutritionist", Elisabeth Lévy is surprised by the fact that, nevertheless, there is "one area of human existence which escapes this desire...
Paralysed in left arm at the age of 20 following removal of contraceptive implant
Priscilla aged 20 has been paralysed in her left arm since her contraceptive implant was removed. "We don't know who or what to blame—the implant or the gynaecologist", explains the young woman who is pressing charges for accidental injury against the hospital...
“Third hand” kidney transplanted in Taiwan
Taiwanese surgeons have transplanted a kidney donated by a patient who had already undergone transplant surgery. This is known as "domino transplantation". The operation was performed at the Chi Mei Medical Center in Tainan, south-west Taiwan, and discussed last month...
Chinese team produces mouse pups from two female mice
On Thursday, a team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced the successful creation of offspring from two female mice using embryo stem cells "and targeted genome editing". On reaching adulthood, the mice were able to produce their own healthy...
Legalising medically assisted reproduction for all women would lead to a paternity desert
At a time when "medically assisted reproduction for all women" is hotly debated, child psychiatrists and psychoanalysts Christian Flavigny and Michèle Fontanon-Missenard reiterate, in an opinion piece, the importance of involving the father in child development....
Decision No. 129 of the French National Consultative Ethics Committee (CCNE): Monsignor Aupetit responds
"The real question is, what is human dignity? " Monsignor Aupetit, Archbishop of Paris, has "predictably" welcomed the decision of the CCNE (see Decision of the National Consultative Ethics Committee: to what depths are we stooping?). This Council was wanted "as...
Down syndrome: an additional 22 million dollars released for research in the US
In the US, the National Institute of Health (NIH) has just granted additional funding to the tune of 22.2 million dollars to boost research into Down syndrome, linking basic and clinical research. This investment is part of the INCLUDE (INvestigation of Co-occurring...
Council of State decision: Reserving medically assisted reproduction for heterosexual couples is not deemed discriminatory
Faced this summer with a priority issue of constitutionality, the French Council of State has just made a decision that "voids one of the arguments most often put forward by supporters of 'medically assisted reproduction for all women'": According to the Council of...