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Alfie Evans: bioethicists demand a revision of the law
Speaking about the Alfie Evans case, two renowned bioethicists and professors of medical ethics at Oxford University, have pointed out "protocol problems". The toddler died last April [1], when the hospital withdrew his life support [2] contrary to the wishes of his...
Survey: one woman in six regrets preserving eggs
A recent study suggests that one woman in six regrets freezing her eggs to preserve fertility and delay having children. As the technology develops, promoted by companies in the San Francisco area, "we wanted to take a step back to understand the impact of this...
British Columbia: a review of fees to encourage doctors to practise assisted dying?
From 1st May, doctors in British Columbia, Canada, who are involved in medically assisted dying, have witnessed an increase in fees go from $200 to $280. They can also claim an additional $125 for picking up the lethal drugs when the pharmacy is a long way from where...
Spain: National Transplantation Organisation opposes crossover donation
The Spanish National Transplantation Organisation (ONT) has expressed its opinion on "global kidney exchange" or "crossover donation". This is a process devised by American Alvin Roth, the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, to increase the number of...
United States – Congress validates the “right to try” experimental drugs for the terminally ill
On 22 May 2018, the US Congress approved a law authorising terminally ill patients to "try" experimental drugs not yet validated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but which have already successfully completed the first clinical development phase. This...
Portuguese in favour of palliative care vs. euthanasia
Several draft bills have been put forward in favour of euthanasia in Portugal. The Portuguese Parliament must debate and vote on these bills on 29 May. In the lead-up to these debates, the Portuguese Marketing Research Institute (MRI) called for a survey on...
Kosovo – doctors convicted for organ trafficking
Several doctors have been given prison sentences for harvesting kidneys from donors brought to Kosovo, and then selling the kidneys to patients treated at a clinic involved in illegal organ transplantation. The organ trafficking is believed to have international...
No law legalizing assisted suicide in Guernsey
After three days of debate, the Guernsey Parliament refused to legalize assisted suicide. Members of the Parliament voted against the bill proposed by Prime Minister Gavin St Pier, with 24 votes against and 14 in favour (cf. Guernsey: Towards the authorisation...
For Jacques Testart, from surrogacy to transhumanism it just takes a few steps
For Jacques Testart, from surrogacy to transhumanism it just takes a few steps. When Amandine, the first French test-tube baby whom the biologist contributed to was born, he became aware that “What fascinated society was not so much to have allowed a sterile couple to...
France adopts GDPR implementation act
Yesterday, the French National Assembly adopted the draft bill to protect personal data on the Internet, a bill which is based on European legislation, namely "General Data Protection Regulation" (GDPR), which takes effect on 25 May. At the last reading, MPs...
The American Medical Association confirms its opposition to assisted suicide
Recent pressure on the American Medical Association has not changed the position of the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, which remains strongly opposed to assisted suicide. In a recent report, the Council declared that, "in its current form the...
UNESCO International Bioethics Committee focuses on new bioethical issues
The IBC[1] met in Beirut to focus on the question of “new bioethical issues". Topics included: "respect for human dignity, physical integrity and freedom of consent" as well as issues focusing on "individual responsibility", "modern parenting" and "new concepts in...