February 18, 2011
Religion: Faith in science
The Templeton Foundation claims to be a friend of science. So why does it make so many researchers uneasy? (Nature News)
Monthly Archives: February 2011
February 18, 2011
Alaska governor refusing to enact health care law
Gov. Sean Parnell took a defiant stand Thursday against the federal health care overhaul Congress passed last year, declaring that he will refuse to implement a law he views as blatantly unconstitutional. (Washington Post)
February 18, 2011
Promise of genomics research needs a realistic view
In the ten years since the human genetic code was mapped, expectations among scientists, health care industry, policy makers, and the public have remained high concerning the promise of genomics research for improving health. (PhysOrg)
February 18, 2011
Texas Senate passes bill to require sonogram before abortion
Women in Texas must be offered a fetal sonogram and hear a heartbeat before having an abortion under legislation approved by the Senate on Thursday. (The Dallas Morning News)
February 18, 2011
German Medical Association eases rules on assisted suicide
Germany’s medical community has liberalized its code on helping sick patients die, giving more freedom to individual doctors. The change reflects a growing acceptance of assisted suicide among German doctors. (Deutsche Welle)
February 18, 2011
Is FDA Device Exemption for Deep Brain Stimulation Being Misused?
The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) humanitarian device exemption (HDE) for the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) to treat severe obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCD) may put patients at risk and should be revised, an analysis/commentary published in the February … Read More
February 16, 2011
Why ER Doctors Test for Drugs Without Patient Consent
Do you know that when you walk into an emergency department, your doctor may run a test for illicit-drug use without telling you? (TIME)
February 16, 2011
Arizona Mulls Checking Hospital Patients’ Citizenship
Arizona’s state government is considering new legislation that would prevent hospitals from giving nonemergency treatment to suspected illegal immigrants. (MedPage Today)
February 16, 2011
DNA profiles to be deleted from police database
Hundreds of thousands of DNA profiles on the national database will be deleted the government has announced. Under the proposals, police will no longer be able to retain the DNA profile of most people who are arrested but not subsequently … Read More
February 16, 2011
UK Court Mulls Sterilizing Mentally Disabled Woman
A British judge ruled Tuesday that more evidence is needed before deciding whether to grant a mother’s wish to have her mentally disabled daughter sterilized — a case that is troubling medical ethicists. (NPR)
February 15, 2011
New Issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association is Now Available
The Journal of the American Medical Association (Volume 305, Issue 3, January 19, 2011) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Finding the Right Level of Posthospital Care: ‘We Didn’t Realize There Was Any Other Option for Him’” by … Read More
February 15, 2011
New Issue of Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy is Now Available
Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy (Volume 14, Issue 1, January 2011) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Can Curative of Life-Sustaining Treatment Be Withheld or Withdrawn? The Opinions and Views of Indian Palliative-Care Nurses and Physicians” by Joris … Read More
February 15, 2011
Organs-on-a-Chip
One of the most challenging aspects of drug development is testing. Scientists are forced either to experiment on whole animals, which is expensive, raises ethical issues and may not predict effects in humans, or to perform tests on microscopic human … Read More
February 15, 2011
Patients hunt for shorter liver transplant lines as work begins to even the wait
Where you live plays a big role in how sick you are, and how long you wait, before getting a scarce liver transplant – if you survive long enough. Now the network that runs the U.S. organ transplant system is … Read More
February 15, 2011
Researchers say the most harmful medical devices get too-easy FDA approval without human tests
Most medical devices recalled in recent years because of deaths or life-threatening problems were cleared for approval under less stringent regulations that don’t require human testing, an analysis found. (AP)
February 15, 2011
Surrogate Grandmother: Woman Gives Birth to Her Own Grandson at 61
In the world of surrogate parenting, the Connell’s scenario is not as uncommon as you might think. The first case of such an arrangement dates back to 1987 when a South African woman gave birth to her triplet grandchildren. More … Read More
February 15, 2011
Mitch Daniels Suggests Re-Examination of End-of-Life Care
ndiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who is considering a run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, veered from his party’s orthodoxy on end-of-life care Friday, suggesting the nation cannot afford to provide every treatment and technology available for every single dying … Read More
February 15, 2011
Transhumanists Coming Out of the Closet
It wasn’t that long ago that listing transhumanism, human enhancement, the Singularity, technology-driven evolution, existential risks, and so on, as academic interests on one’s CV might result in a bit of embarrassment. Over just the past decade and a half, … Read More
February 15, 2011
Event: National Nursing Ethics Conference
The American Nurses Association and Ethics of Caring are collaboratively sponsoring the National Nursing Ethics Conference in Los Angeles, CA at the Hilton Universal City. March 24-25, 2011 The two-day meeting focuses on ethical issues that abound in today’s healthcare. … Read More
February 15, 2011
Event: Summer School on Health Law and Ethics 2001
The Erasmus Observatory is proud to announce the Annual Summer School on Health Law and Ethics in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. June 27 – July 8, 2011 The course is designed to enhance the preparation of health professionals confronted with legal … Read More
February 15, 2011
Event: The 14th US-Japan Cellular and Gene Therapy Conference on Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS): Derivation and Characterization
Thursday, February 24, 2011 8:00 am – 4:30 pm National Institutes of Health (NIH) Main Campus Natcher Conference Center Building 45, Balcony A and B Bethesda, Maryland, 20892 The goal of this conference is to exchange ideas on cutting edge … Read More
February 14, 2011
New Issue of Bioethics is Now Available
Bioethics (Volume 24, Issue 9, December 2010) is available on-line and by subscription only. Articles include: “The Ethics of Impossible and Possible Changes to Human Nature” by Timothy Murphy. “Moral Enhancement and Freedom” by John Harris. “A Direct Advance on … Read More
February 14, 2011
The ‘Unbortion’: Chicago Hospital Persuades Women to Halt Abortions
here are many decisions in life that are irreversible, but, as it turns out, abortion does not have to be one of them.Earlier this week, the Chicago Tribune reported on a Chicago hospital it says is one of the only … Read More
February 14, 2011
Only breed smart babies: Ethicist
A LEADING Australian ethicist has advocated genetically screening embryos to create a smarter society of superior “designer babies” with higher IQs. (Herald Sun)
February 14, 2011
Medical liability caps face court challenge in Kansas
The state Supreme Court will determine the constitutionality of limits on noneconomic damages. (American Medical News)
