NEWS
Pope Francis affirms that health workers’ conscientious objection to participating in abortion is non-negotiable
“You know that I am very clear about this: it is (abortion) a homicide and it is not licit to become an accomplice”. The Supreme Pontiff once again insists on the non-negotiable duty of the faithful to oppose abortion. Doctrine reiterated by [...]
The laboratory’s SARS-CoV-2 leak theory gains traction. We have an eyewitness outside of China
We recently published an article about a letter to the director of the WHO from 32 scientists who expressed the need, on the part of the international community, to know the origin of SARS-CoV-2 (see HERE) even without China's rulers' collaboration. They [...]
The collapse of the health system in Alaska due, in some measure, to an irresponsible management of the crisis
An article published in The New York Times (October 6, 2021, and on CNBC October 14), which draws attention for its title "In Alaska’s Covid crisis, doctors must decide who lives and who dies", comments on the specific case of two patients [...]
China’s communist party rulers against abortions for “non-medical purposes”. A rule more radical than Texas Heartbeat Act
The Chinese government has not managed to reverse the deep demographic crisis in that country. Both the practice of selective abortions, in case the baby was a girl, and the one-child policy for so many years, have aged the population and created [...]
Deaths of young people in clinical trial of gene therapy could affect the research of this promising treatment
We have published several articles about this line of research. A few years ago one untitled The slow advance of gene therapy now faces a more promising chapter and more recently we reported several successful clinical trials. Read HERE. The gene therapy [...]
Stem cell therapy research without using embryonic stem cells. Focusing on induced pluripotent stem cells and mesenchymal cells
In recent years, research that uses stem cells in regenerative medicine has been developed, to create repairing treatments for tissues and organs. Our Observatory has published several articles referring to the bioethical aspects of these researches and their, until now, relatively little [...]
Assisted reproductive treatments in Europe. Updated vision country by country
We have analyzed in previous articles the ethical, social and demographic implications of the increase in infertility (both female and male) in developed countries and the tendency to be a mother after the age of 30 (see HERE). This is generating an [...]
The US Supreme Court begins its activities with great opposition from the powerful pro-abortion movement
The beginning of the activities of the Supreme Court on October 4, which has a majority of members appointed by the previous Administration and does not respond to pro-abortion ideological interests, has reignited the debate on abortion in the U.S. In this [...]
The fate of unclaimed supernumerary embryos
There is no doubt that embryo freezing and storage have objective ethical drawbacks, which we have evaluated in-depth in a special report (see HERE). Recent news gives the possibility of extending its storage from 10 to 50 years, which seems to make [...]
Epigenetics of the early development of the human embryo and transgenerational inheritance studies
Studying the possibility of transmitting epigenetic information across generations Until recently, it was indisputable that the phenotypic traits of the person were defined exclusively by the genetic factors transmitted by heredity. Later non-genetic factors have been proven so that the different genes [...]
Posthumous reproduction using the deceased’s sperm to create a child in Israel. Ethical assessment
In an article we published a year ago, Dr. Justo Aznar analyzed the initiative of fertility clinics in the United Kingdom that called for the use of cryopreserved sperm in clinics and sperm banks, from deceased people, for reproductive purposes. This initiative [...]
Impact of ethics discussions on decision-making of health professionals caring of children with cancer
An article published in the "European Journal of Oncology Nursing" (June 2021, no. 45), a journal belonging to the Nature group, deals with the delicate issue of decision-making in pediatric care for children with cancer and the effect of ethical discussions among [...]
Patents of gene editing techniques that modify the germline of the embryo are proposed
The WHO recently made a report (read HERE) dealing with this issue, with information on these prohibitions in different countries and the measures that are being implemented to identify and arrest possible offenders. In this respect, a recent JAMA article entitled Governing [...]
The vast majority of Italian gynecologists oppose abortion. Significant decrease in hospitals that provide “pregnancy interruption services” in Italy
Updated 9/21/2021 "Significant decrease in hospitals that provide pregnancy interruption services" In Italy, it has been reported that it has become increasingly complicated to have an abortion, as, in many regions, more than 70% of gynecologists declare that they are conscientious objectors [...]
Ageism in COVID 19 pandemic. “Older people found themselves cruelly abandoned”
Updated 9/14/2021 The term ageism was coined in the English language in 1969, and is defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as “unfair treatment of people who are becoming old or who are old”. From a bioethical point of view, this definition is an excellent interpretation of ageism - it is not only [...]
Loneliness before, during and after coronavirus including young population. Is it an epidemic?
Updated 9/14/2021 Before addressing the continuous increase of loneliness in Britain and its medical and ethical effects, we give specialists' opinions of what is happening in the United State in the Coronavirus era (read HERE). In this respect, an article published in [...]
Is Cannabis a recreational substance with no major medical risks?
Cannabis neurological harmful effects show a recent large scientific study Drug addiction in the US and overdose deaths (see HERE) are a major concern for the country's health authorities. Public opinion and particularly young people consider some drugs for recreational use harmless [...]
Ethical Considerations of the role of pharmaceutical companies to fairly immunize globally population
Pharmaceutical companies in current pandemic have been criticized. Looking for an equitable solution A report published in The Lancet (August 5, 2021) makes an evaluation of the performance of pharmaceutical companies, their relevance and the ethical principles that should prevail to redefine [...]
It is intended to increase to 55 years for keeping frozen human embryos and sperm in the UK
The controversial issue of frozen human embryos in the UK (see HERE), which are overflowing the storage capacity of fertility clinics (see HERE), poses a new challenge to the government's plans, which it intends to expand from 10 to 55 years is [...]
Important technological advances in Intensive Care Units could make end-of-life decisions difficult
An article published in The Economist newspaper on August 26, 2021, states that "the technological advance in the ICU (intensive care unit) that allows keeping patients alive, almost indefinitely, is a problem for hospitals." Dr. Robert Truog, a pediatric intensive care physician [...]
