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United Kingdom: heading towards decriminalisation of abortion?
Although the purchase of abortion pills without a prescription is illegal in Great Britain, on-line sales of these pills are soaring. According to Government statistics, 375 pills sent to addresses in England, Wales and Scotland were seized in 2016 during annual...
Poland: morning after pill available only on prescription?
Since 2015, in accordance with European legislation, the morning after pill has been available in Poland without prescription. On Tuesday, the Polish Government adopted a draft bill seeking to limit access to the morning after pill, which will be sold only on...
Human genome editing: a call for caution but no ban by American Academies
The long-awaited report from American Medicine and Science Academies on genome editing was published on Wednesday. Although it calls for a degree of caution in human genome handling, it does not prohibit changes affecting the germ line. It paves the way "for changes...
MAP: a highly scientific business
Stéphane Viville, "infertility specialist"[1], published an article in Le Monde in which he denounced "certain tests (…) available to and paid for by patients, in a large number of French in-vitro fertilisation centres", the "real interest and reliability of...
Treatment of cancer and infertility: Alternatives to MAP (Medically Assisted Procreation)
A team of scientists in Massachusetts has noted that the anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) could prevent chemotherapy-induced ovarian damage. Pre-clinical trials in mice have highlighted that this hormone stops the egg maturation process in the ovarian follicles[1]. This...
Belgium: heading towards legal status for embryo and foetus?
On 9 February, the Belgian Federal Parliament voted on a draft bill aimed at "allowing recognition of paternal parentage outside marriage from the start of pregnancy". Thus, "a conceived child can be recognised at any point during pregnancy based on a...
The Netherlands: “unprecedented support” against the euthanasia of people with dementia
In the Netherlands, there has been "unprecedented support" against the euthanasia of people with dementia. Three hundred and fifty doctors signed a petition expressing their refusal "to terminate the life of defenceless human beings". Signatories included "many...
Abortion: One of Us opposes the “She decides” fund
When the new American President revised the "Mexico policy" stipulating that no federal financing should assist international or foreign organisations practising or promoting abortion, the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Liliane Ploumen,...
Pope Francis: “We shall be together and pray for the children threatened by the interruption of pregnancy”
On the occasion of the World Day for Life on Sunday, 5 February, Pope Francis called everyone to pray for the children who are "threatened by the interruption of pregnancy" (abortion) and persons at the end of life: "Every life is sacred. Let’s carry forward the...
A Company implants a microchip under the skin of its employees
In Belgium, a sub-cutaneous microchip the size of a grain of rice has been implanted between the thumb and index finger of eight volunteers working for the NewFusion Company. The microprocessor allows them "to open the entrance door to the Company or activate their...
Creation of a child after death: The Israeli Court of Appeal says no
In Israel, a court authorised a couple to use their son's sperm, harvested after his death in a car accident, for IVF involving a surrogate mother to produce their son's offspring (see authorisation for posthumous sperm retrieval in Israel). The State of Israel...
China: Surrogacy to revitalise the birth rate?
Last year, China terminated its one child policy "to off-set the ageing population". But this step did not have the anticipated effect: "90 million couples had the opportunity to have a second child", but "almost half of them are over 40 years of age". The debate on...