SPECIAL REPORTS
Gene editing technique obtains offspring in female mice without the need for sex or sperm
This is the first time offspring have been obtained from a single female in mammals. The research, conducted in China, has been published in the journal of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) (https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2115248119), [...]
Neuroenhancement: from the scientific and technological vanguard to the difficulties and limits posed by the philosophy of mind and bioethics
Review and first analysis of an article on the subject published in Revista Iberoamericana de Bioética Revista Iberoamericana de Bioética (Ibero-American Journal of Bioethics) recently published an interesting article on neuroenhancement, in which its difficulties [...]
The use of opioids increases in Spain
The prescription of opioids has grown in Spain, but with much lower rates than those in North America In recent years, the USA and Canada have experienced an alarming increase in the use of opioids. [...]
The aftermath of the first gene editing on human embryos: the “He Jiankui affair”
In 2018, He Jiankui shocked the world by announcing that he had created babies with altered genomes, implanting embryos in which he had used CRISPR-Cas9 to edit a gene known as CCR5, which encodes a [...]
Demographic winter in Taiwan: There are more pets than children
The demographic situation in Taiwan is alarming: with the lowest birth rates in the world, the sale of pets has experienced a boom. A recent article by Nicola Smith and Chi Hui Lin published in [...]
Does the fetus undergoing an abortion feel pain?
Up until a few years ago, it was thought that the human fetus undergoing an abortion was oblivious to pain, but scientific advances have revealed new information that entails ethical dilemmas related to interventions with [...]
Are we close to getting “universal” organs for transplants?
Scientists in Toronto, Canada, have developed a technique that could make organs for transplantation suitable for any recipient, avoiding the need to find compatible organs, facilitating equity in the allocation of this valuable medical resource. [...]
Who is free from scientific fraud? Analysis of research in Norway
A recent article published in the journal Science and Engineering Ethics presents the results of a national survey conducted in 2018 for the project “Research Integrity in Norway” about scientific fraud. A total of 7,291 [...]
Artificial pregnancy: a step forward or backward?
Chinese researchers claim to have built an artificial womb that could carry an artificial pregnancy. Some media are reporting a research study published in the Chinese "Journal of Biomedical Engineering", conducted by researchers from the [...]
New advances in organoids, old ethical problems
Scientists from Cincinnati (Ohio) have developed the most complex stomach organoids to date, using embryonic stem cells. The biology of tissues and organs is difficult to study in mammals, especially in humans. However, advances in [...]
Macron intends to incorporate abortion into the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has asked the European Parliament in Strasbourg that abortion and environmental protection be explicitly incorporated (EU) in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. “I want us [...]
Pig-to-human heart transplant. A new horizon?
A pig heart was transplanted in the United States in a patient with severe heart disease for whom there was no therapeutic alternative. It was the first time a pig-to-human heart transplant was successful. Since [...]
Bioethical issues of the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide
A patient obtains authorization to receive assisted suicide in Italy and opens the door to the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide in that country. Once again, we find ourselves with a similar case to [...]
Gender transition: Is there a right to be forgotten?
Health Care Analysis has published a new study on gender transition, entitled Gender Transition: Is There a Right to Be Forgotten? The privacy of citizens of developed countries has been affected by access to personal [...]
Conscientious objection or good practice? New Spanish law
The recent pressures exerted on the health community, seeking to limit the free exercise of their profession when they oppose putting into practice laws that threaten the life or health of people, compels us to [...]
Should the concept of brain death be reviewed in the United States?
“The discussion of brain death should arguably focus on the concept of the death of the person, rather than the concept of complete bodily death or absence of integrative functions.” The diagnosis of death by [...]
The principle of autonomy and the right not to know: Cases that may require greater consideration
In medical ethics, could the patient's right to don't know limitation affect the patient's autonomy? On 28 June 2021, Ben Davies published an article entitled Compromising on the Right Not to Know? in which he [...]
What are the bioethical issues raised by the new law on assisted reproduction in France?
Macron's legal and bioethics reform an advance or a setback? A new law recently passed in France allows lesbians and single women to access in vitro fertilization treatment, specifying that both the biological mother and [...]
Maxwell’s demon turns 150 years old… in top form
We congratulate Maxwell’s demon on his 150th birthday and wish him long life! Maxwell’s demon has fascinated the scientific world throughout its entire existence. In its 150 years of life, new facets have been discovered [...]
Designer Babies new era. One more step to the ideal child
One of the bioethical issues of most importance and diffusion around assisted reproduction is the selection of embryos through preimplantation genetic diagnosis, which has been the subject of debate among bioethicists, many of whom consider [...]
