Search
European Online Citizens’ Consultation: reminding the European Union of the importance of respect for human life
Launched in May 2018, a citizens' consultation will enable all Europeans to voice their opinion on the direction in which they wish to steer the European Union. For the first time, the European Commission convened a citizens' panel on 5 and 6 May 2018 to draft...
Jacques Testart vs Laurent Alexandre: Transhumanism in the spotlight
For Jacques Testart, transhumanism is “an infantile ideology that takes advantage of the extraordinary progress of technoscience over the last decade, to bring to light old, archaic myths about the super-intelligent, immortal, invincible human”. Facing Laurent...
In Argentina, the Chamber of Deputies launches ambitious bill on abortion in challenging circumstances
In Argentina, after a 22-hour session and a debate lasting nearly four months, the Chamber of Deputies voted in favour of a far-reaching bill, with unknown outlines, which would legalise abortion. A broad bill With 129 votes in favour, 125 against and...
Blood donor remuneration – “a catalyst promoting the commodification of the human body”
In France, "blood donors are not remunerated because the human body isn't a commodity", explains François Toujas, President of the Etablissement français du sang(French Blood Transfusion Agency). He refers to the ethical values of blood donation which should be: "an...
CRISPR-Cas9 – the “genetic scissors” responsible for hundreds of uncontrolled mutations
The use of CRISPR-Cas9—the genetic editing tool, triggers hundreds of random mutations throughout the genome. This was discovered by American scientists on carrying out research on a murine genome after modifying one of its genes using the CRISPR-Cas9 tool....
Abortion survivor Melissa Ohden believes she is “one of the luckiest people in the world”
Forty-one years ago, Melissa Ohden survived an abortion. She grew up knowing that she had been born prematurely and had been adopted, but it was not until she reached the age of 14 that she learned the difficult circumstances surrounding her birth. During an argument...
United Kingdom – first uterus transplants scheduled by end of 2018
According to Richard Smith, gynaecologist at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in London, the first womb transplants are set to take place by the end of 2018. In 2015, 10 of these transplants were authorised with uteri harvested from "beating-heart cadaver...
Malta: 524 doctors oppose embryo freezing
A declaration signed by over 500 doctors has just been submitted to Malta's Health Minister, Chris Fearne, to urge him to remember that "life begins at conception" and to highlight their opposition to the government's draft bill. The bill would authorise embryo...
United Nations urges Argentina to legalise abortion
With the House of Representatives having to decide by the end of the month whether or not to legalise free abortions up to the 14th week of pregnancy (see Argentina: President Macri opens debate on abortion, in a country highly divided over such issues), the United...
Obamacare: college in northern Indiana gets exemption on abortion and contraception
An Evangelical Christian college in northern Indiana recently won a long-running lawsuit seeking exemption from Obamacare on religious grounds. Under the 2010 law, all employers must provide employees with healthcare coverage, including for contraception, abortion,...
In Switzerland, criteria for assisted suicide expanded to “unbearable suffering”
After several months of consultation, the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS) has just published new directives on end-of-life care, which are intended to make the 2004 guidelines more flexible. The Swiss Senate overwhelmingly approved them, voting 41 in favour...
Planned Parenthood threatened by investigation about failure to report sexual abuse of minors
The Trump administration recently introduced new rules regarding Title X grants for family planning services. While the proposed changes should prohibit federal funding from going to facilities that perform abortions or give abortion referrals, another...