Bioethics in the News
Today the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity sent this list of recent news stories relating to bioethics:
‘Ethical' stem-cell work advances
Several Massachusetts firms are forging ahead with ambitious stem-cell research plans, circumventing the heated debate over embryonic research by using other, less-controversial methods. (Washington Times)
27 more hESC lines head for OK
Twenty-seven human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines are ethically derived and should be approved for use in research funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), a committee advising the NIH director recommended today (December 4). These findings come just two days after the approval of the first 13 lines earlier this week. (The Scientist)
Researchers launch phase II trial of stem cells and acute heart attack
The second phase of a clinical trial testing a new stem-cell-based therapy on injured heart muscle has been launched by researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. It is the only study site in the Texas Medical Center. (ScienceDaily)
Would you choose your child's gender?
Genetic screening techniques that allow parents to choose their children's gender are now more accurate than ever and are becoming increasingly mainstream, but experts are divided over whether the technology should be used in this way. (CNN) [I can see doing this pre-conception if one gender is more likely to carry a genetic disorder known to be in a family's gene pool. But I get nervous about sexual discrimination.]
Is it right to pay women for their eggs?
The fertility watchdog is to look at offering more generous compensation to egg and sperm donors as a means of tackling the severe shortage of supplies for those desperate for a baby. (BBC)
Scientists find way to block fearful memories
U.S. researchers have found a drug-free way to block fearful memories, opening up the possibility of new treatment approaches for problems such as post traumatic stress disorder, they reported on Wednesday. (Reuters) [What about blocking memories of a bad relationship? Would you do it? What if you fell in love with the same jerk a second time because you didn't/couldn't learn from experience?]
Genetic Research Spurs Fight Over Patents Tied to the Body
The mapping of the human genome has created enticing possibilities for the early detection of grave diseases. Genetic research, however, has run headlong into a tricky legal issue: Should human genes ever be the subject of patent protection? (Wall Street Journal) [Sure, as long as the One who designed and made those genes gets all the money.]
Wrong surgeries a product of poor communication
Mix-ups both inside and outside the operating room lead to procedures performed on the incorrect patient or wrong body part, a new study says. (American Medical News)
The Silent Scream: Misdiagnosis in Disorders of Consciousness
The widely publicized case of Rom Houben, a Belgian man who was inaccurately diagnosed as being in a vegetative state for more than two decades, highlights the serious problem of misdiagnosis in patients with disorders of consciousness. (Bioethics Forum)