nº 51

                                                             Contact us HERE   January 2017

REPORTS
Juan Carlos Izpisua biomedical experiments. They present serious ethical problems primarily because some of them use human embryonic stem cells

Ethical reflection on the latest biomedical experiments by Juan Carlos Izpisua and his group

Over the last few days, some of the biomedical experiments conducted by Juan Carlos Izpisua and his group — in which researchers from several Spanish universities take part — have been widely reported by various media... Read more.
She aborted her child to save her brother's life. A paradigmatic case of medical and ethical manipulation

She aborted her child to save her brother's life. A paradigmatic case of medical and ethical manipulation

Can bone marrow really not be obtained from a pregnant woman? Because if it can, there would be no medical reason to have to resort to abortion… Read more.
Vaccines produced using aborted foetuses are currentily been used. Since the abortions have already been performed is it not right to take advantage?

Is it true that there are vaccines produced using aborted foetuses?

Some of the vaccines currently used to prevent diseases such as rubella, measles, rabies, poliomyelitis, hepatitis A, chickenpox or smallpox are produced using tissues from human abortions…

Read more.

NEWS
Mice artifical eggs have been produced from their skin. Now it has been speculated that there's a possibility that same sex couples could have children

Functional eggs obtained for the first time from mouse skin

Scientists in Japan have transformed mouse skin cells into eggs and have managed to obtain fertile offspring after their fertilisation. This study represents the first production of eggs… Read more.
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis and IVF. Recent study shows that selecting the best quality embryos for transfer not improves IVF effectiveness

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Does it improve the effectiveness of IVF?

There is no doubt that a medical and ethical objective is to improve the effectiveness of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), i.e. improve pregnancy rates, but there appears to have been a failure to achieve this for now… Read more.
A review of the incidence of the Zika virus and its ethical aspects

Incidence of the Zika virus and its ethical aspects

The Zika virus, which we have been reporting on in our Observatory (see HERE), is an arbovirus that is causing health problems on a global scale …

Read more.
Euthanasia and assisted suicide. Attitudes and practice in countries where they have been legalised

Euthanasia. Attitudes and practice in countries where they have been legalised

 The ethical and legal aspects of euthanasia and assisted suicide continue to be the subject of active controversy. Some countries have recently legalised these practices, while others…  Read more.
Latest global abortion figures suggest the necessity to spread the meaning of an abortion, which is nothing other than ending the life of a human being

Global abortion figures suggest measures to prevent them 

Knowing the incidence of abortion in different parts of the world is important in order to promote measures to prevent it. In a recent article by our Observatory, we discussed an extensive study in The Lancet that addressed this issue… Read more.

IN BRIEF
Suicidal behaviour has displaced road accidents as the leading cause of unnatural death in the population aged under 35 years

The incidence of suicidal behaviour in Spain is very high

The incidence of suicidal behaviour has risen in Spain from barely 6 cases per 100,000 population at the end of the last century, to over 11 per 100,000 at present, while other regions, such as the Nordic countries, have managed to reduce self-destructive behaviours… Read more.
Pediatric euthanasia applied for the first time

Euthanasia applied to a minor in Belgium for the first time

News spread that euthanasia had been applied to a minor in Belgium for the first time.  In 2014, Belgium became the second country — after the Netherlands — to decriminalise this practice for minors. Belgian regulations provide that children and adolescents can opt for… Read more.
The Lancet comment that it is the start of a new era in Crohn's disease treatment using cell therapy, with adult stem cells.

New breakthrough in the treatment of Crohn's disease using cell therapy

Findings of the first phase 3 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, in which the authors assessed the safety and efficacy of treatment, have now been published in the Lancet. The… Read more.
Tissues and organs production with 3D technique. the clinical use of these organs is without doubt a hope, albeit still distant

Tissues production using 3D printing: a hopeful but distant possibility

A topic that has major ethical connotations is  tissues and organs production using the innovative 3D printing technique. A recent article in The Lancet discusses some of its possibilities and states... Read more.
Embryonic stem cells treatment to treat spinal cord as part of a multicenter clinical trial when stem cells trial from the patient had similar results

Embryonic stem cells treatment is used to treat spinal cord injury 

The University of Southern California announced that a team of doctors became the first in California to inject an experimental treatment made from embryonic stem cells. Kris Boesen, a recently paralysed 21-year-old man… Read more.