NEWS
Synthetic biology under debate: science and ethics meet to define the human future
International experts analyzed at the Catholic University of Valencia the possibilities, limits and bioethical challenges posed by gene editing and the creation of organoids. On April 20, the Bioethics Observatory at the Catholic University of Valencia (UCV) held its annual conference titled [...]
The Bioethics Observatory will analyze the ethical challenges of synthetic biology at an international congress
On April 20, 2026, the congress “Synthetic Biology and the Human Future: Possibilities, Limits, and Bioethical Challenges,” organized by the Bioethics Observatory, will take place. This event seeks to address the new ethical frontiers that arise from the current capacity to create [...]
The Bioethics Observatory and its websites consolidate their global expansion
The Bioethics Observatory of the Catholic University of Valencia has reaffirmed its digital leadership during the 2024-2025 period, registering sustained growth on both its main website in Spanish and its international version, Bioethics Observatory. Together, the two platforms have more than 235,000 [...]
Japan authorizes sale of the morning-after pill without a prescription
Japan has liberalized the dispensing of the postcoital contraceptive pill by authorizing the pharmaceutical company ASKA to sell its drug NORLEVO without a prescription, thus joining the trend promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO). The new regulations allow the purchase of [...]
China unveils “Darwin monkey” or “Wukong,” a supercomputer that emulates the brain of a macaque
The development of Darwin Monkey marks a milestone in artificial brain emulation, bringing Artificial Intelligence closer to the cognitive capabilities of living beings. However, this advance also raises profound ethical dilemmas about the consciousness, responsibility and the social impact of possible general [...]
Controversy in Georgia: brain-dead pregnant woman kept alive to preserve fetus
A pregnant nurse, declared brain-dead, remains on life support in order to save her child. The case raises profound bioethical questions about respect for human dignity, the absolute value of unborn life, and the limits of medical intervention. How far should medicine [...]
Groundbreaking discovery: Neural stem cells discovered outside the brain
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster have discovered neural stem cells outside the brain in mice, in peripheral organs such as the lungs, tail, and limbs, according to a report in the journal Nature Cell Biology. For [...]
Birth rates in Spain have increased in 2024 after a decade of decline
After ten years of continuous declines in birth rates, Spain has recorded an increase in the number of births in 2024 compared to the previous year. According to provisional figures published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), 322,034 babies were born [...]
Artificial Intelligence: are we going too fast?
The rapid spread of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and the ease of free access to some of its modalities is changing the work procedures of many citizens. Applied in business, education, official bodies, calculation or design programs, databases and [...]
Researching palliative care to provide better care
Palliative care consists of providing holistic care to those suffering from an advanced illness, using a methodology that promotes conceiving each reality as a whole, distinct from the sum of its component parts. Therefore, this care focuses on comprehensive care for the [...]
Abortions decrease by almost 30% in Florida after changes in legislation
According to data from the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), abortions in the State of Florida decreased by 28% in 2024. While, in 2024, 60,755 unborn babies were eliminated, in the year 2023, abortions reached the terrible figure of 84,052. This [...]
Texas moves forward against abortion
Texas is moving forward with a bill that seeks to further restrict access to abortion pills in the state. This month, Republican Texas state Representative Pat Curry introduced a proposal to classify mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances. These are two drugs [...]
Concern over possible commercialization of genetic data of 15 million people
The company 23andMe, which is currently in bankruptcy, is in the business of performing DNA tests to determine the genetic data of its customers' ancestors. These tests are very simple to use. For about €50, the company mails its customers a kit [...]
New version of the Declaration of Helsinki, the ethical framework for medical research involving human participants
The Declaration of Helsinki is a set of ethical principles developed by the World Medical Association (WMA) to guide medical research involving human participants. It was first adopted in 1964 and has been revised several times since then. These principles state that [...]
Monash IVF faces class action lawsuit in Australia for wrongfully destroying viable embryos
Australian company Monash IVF, a specialist in in vitro fertilization (IVF), has been sued by 700 former patients who were part of a genetic screening program for destroying their embryos. According to the lawsuit, Monash IVF, as well as the companies Repromed and Compass Fertility, [...]
In Chile, hormone blockers will not be prescribed to adolescents with gender dysphoria
More and more countries are rectifying their procedures for dealing with gender dysphoria when it comes to providing hormone blockers to people at an early age. Puberty blockers are used in minors with gender dysphoria to stop or delay the adolescent maturation [...]
Renowned scientists analyze the possibilities and risks of genetic research
The Bioethics Observatory brought together experts in genetic editing at a conference with a hundred national and international attendees. On July 4, the Congress “Genetic research: possibilities and risks. An approach from Bioethics” took place. It was organized by the Bioethics Observatory [...]
AstraZeneca stops marketing its COVID-19 vaccine in Europe
A German court has forced the pharmaceutical company to reveal information about patients suffering from thrombosis after administering AstraZeneca's Vaxzevria vaccine. On May 7, the marketing authorization for Vaxzevria, the vaccine against COVID-19 from the AstraZeneca laboratory, was withdrawn at the request [...]
The Bioethics Observatory of the Catholic University of Valencia, awarded for its contribution to society and its defense of the family
The Bioethics Observatory of the Catholic University of Valencia has received an award from the association of large families Más de Dos, in recognition of its work in favor of human life, the family and a more just society. The event coincided [...]
Experts call for the universal abolition of surrogacy
On April 5 and 6, the “International Conference for the Universal Abolition of Surrogacy” took place in Rome, with the participation of representatives of international organizations, politicians and academics who sought to generate a public debate on this practice. The conference was [...]